Butterfly Effect
by Laurus Nobilis
Summary: A collection of fics about Clow and Yuuko.
1. Butterfly Effect

**Disclaimer:** All characters belong to CLAMP.

**Author's Notes:** This is a collection of fics I'm writing for the LJ community insertphrase. That means they're _not_ chapters of the same story, but several one-shots more or less independent from each other. I've rated the whole thing PG-13 just to be safe, but I'll post the rating of every different fic as I post them.

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**Title:** Butterfly Effect  
**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC  
**Characters: **Clow and Yuuko  
**Phrase: **#10 - You have some skill  
**Warnings/Ratings: **G  
**Synopsis: **The beginning of it all...

**Butterfly Effect**

Yuuko leaned back on her sofa, taking in everything she had just heard. She had expected him to come up with some mad strategy, of course, but not _that_ mad. This was over-achieving even for Clow.

"So this is your plan," she said at last.

"What do you think of it?"

"It's the craziest, most unnecessarily complicated thing I've heard in my entire life," she replied. "Fits you."

He smiled, unconcerned.

"I knew you'd say that."

"If you just babbled about that to waste my time…"

"I meant it," Clow assured her, now serious, "every single word. There is no other way to help them."

"That is," Yuuko said between smokes, "if we get involved at all."

He gave her a long look, without saying a word. It almost made her squirm. Too soft-hearted…

"I hate you sometimes," she finally muttered. He grinned.

"I'm sure you do," he said. "The thing is, we already _are_ involved. We know about those children, and we have the power to help them. We have no excuse to turn our backs on them now."

"I don't have a problem with helping them," said Yuuko. "I have a problem with changing the future of several worlds. I can't believe you would even suggest such a ridiculously dangerous thing."

Clow's eyes lit up as he pushed up his glasses. The witch sighed; here came another speech…

"But I'm not suggesting that," he said. "Time is on our side, Yuuko. All we need to do is set things up- just a little tweaking now, and events will develop on their own. We would only be giving them a push on the right direction, so to say."

"That's exactly the same!" she exclaimed, exasperated. "We'd be taking a great risk, and for what? What's in it for us?"

"You know you'd gain something. That's how things work."

"And you?"

"Me?" Clow asked, his eyes widening a bit. "Since when do you worry about me?"

"I don't!" she replied, perhaps a little too quickly. "But don't ask me to believe you'd do something that isn't selfish, because-"

"Peace of mind," he admitted, interrupting her. Yuuko stared at him.

"Playing with the fate of worlds gives you peace of mind?"

Clow looked away, a sad smile forming on his lips.

"I need to know," he said softly, "that I did everything I could."

Yuuko sat up and shook her head. That man would never cease to confuse her.

"All right. So you started something, and you have to finish it. That part I get," she said. "But that only involves the girl _here_. What about the others?"

Clow chuckled and turned his gaze back to her.

"I know you don't have the highest opinion of me," he replied, "but if you think I can leave those children alone when I know I'm able to help them…"

"So you _are_ sure that it can be done," said Yuuko. He smiled.

"We can do it, you and I," he said. "You have some skill."

"Some skill?" she shouted. "You call my powers 'some skill'? Who do you think you are?"

He grinned, but didn't say a word. That was almost as bad as if he had started bragging, she thought.

"Fine," Yuuko sighed. "I'll do it. But the minute you treat me as a sidekick, we're through!"

"We have a deal, then," he said, bowing slightly. She leaned back once again, thoughtful.

"And you think we can help the boy, too?"

"He'll be fine," Clow said with a smile. "Eventually."

Yuuko grinned.

"At least that'll be fun."


	2. Graceful Leave

**Title:** Graceful Leave  
**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC  
**Characters: **Clow and Yuuko  
**Phrase: **#33 – "The meaning of life is that it stops" – Franz Kafka  
**Warnings/Ratings: **PG  
**Synopsis:** Clow has his own plans, but Yuuko doesn't always agree with them.

**Graceful Leave**

Clow woke up with his face buried in an ocean of silk. He could feel a soft hand stroking his hair. He blinked a couple of times, confused; it took him a while to recognize the familiar presence.

"Yuuko?" he asked. His voice sounded hoarser than he had expected.

"Finally. You were starting to worry me," she said. "Quite a bad one this time, wasn't it?"

"I can't remember," he replied. But he knew the trance must have really been bad, if she wasn't even pretending to be mean to him.

The dazed feeling was slowly wearing off; the notion of lying with his head on her lap sank in at last. However, things around him still looked blurry. He realized she had taken off his glasses.

"What's the point of such a thing, if you can't even remember it later?" Yuuko huffed in frustration. He idly wondered if she meant _you should not go through this in vain_.

"It will come back to me," he said. "Just give me some time."

If he squinted a little, he could just make out her kimono's butterfly pattern. That should remind him of something, he thought. But he was sure that the vision hadn't been about Yuuko…

Ah, yes. Butterflies. Such an appropriate symbol.

"It was about my next life," he whispered.

Her hand stopped moving.

"So you haven't changed your mind, then," she said. Her voice was colder than he would have liked.

"Isn't that what makes us human?" Clow said. "The meaning of life is that it stops."

"And you are powerful enough to choose when," she pointed out.

"I'm not going to rush things," he promised. "As long as my power supports me on its own, I will stay. But when my time comes, I will be ready."

For what seemed to him a long time, there was silence. He knew she didn't like to talk about that. Yet he'd had no other choice than telling her, because it was important to their plans- and because he couldn't tell anybody else.

"I know what you wish for," Yuuko whispered at last.

"And you know the price," he replied. "Those years I could steal from Time…"

"I do not take lives," she said.

"You cannot grant me my wish, Yuuko, but _she_ can."

"Indirectly," she muttered, annoyed. Now she was playing with his hair, twirling a few strands around her finger. Clow smiled softly.

"She can," he repeated.

"You could have those years," she insisted.

"But I've had time already," he said, "too much time. Wouldn't you want to me to have my wish instead?"

He heard a small chuckle as her fingers ran through his hair once again.

"We are both very selfish," she said.

There was nothing he could reply to that.


	3. Teamwork

**Title:** Teamwork  
**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC  
**Characters: **Clow and Yuuko  
**Phrase: **#13 – You didn't really believe that, did you?  
**Warnings/Ratings: **K  
**Synopsis: These two give a whole new meaning to "planned parenthood".**

**Teamwork**

"There," Clow said as he put down his quill. "They do look like the original, don't you think?"

Yuuko took a good look at the sketches, her head slightly tilted.

"They look like meatbuns," she said.

"… I hope you meant that in a good way."

"Of course! The other Mokona looked like a meatbun, too. So delicious!"

Clow pushed up his glasses, unable to hide an amused grin. This woman could act like such a child sometimes…

"You know, it's not considered good manners among mages to eat your own creations," he said. "Unless it's part of a cannibalistic ritual. But that's not good manners, either."

"Ha ha, very funny," Yuuko mocked him. "It's Cerberus you'll have to be watching."

"Now, leave my Guardians out of it," he warned her. "You don't want to mess with three instead of one."

"What, they can do something other than sleep?"

Clow took a deep breath and managed to hold back a reply to that. This was for work, he reminded himself. Work.

"Will you _please_ focus?" he said, waving the piece of paper where he had drawn the Mokonas.

"You started it," she muttered, but she didn't push it.

"So," Clow continued, ignoring her comment, "we'll make a white one and a black one, like we had agreed. We covered the whole yin and yang business last time, too. Now, about their powers…"

"I thought we had covered their powers already."

"Oh, those were just the basics," he said, waving his hands dismissively. "We still have to decide which one gets to do what, and all the details."

"I still think they should get the same powers," Yuuko said, arms crossed. "If they're going to be yin and yang, they must be equal."

"They can be balanced without being identical. Look at Yue and Cerberus–"

He was interrupted by her exasperated groan.

"Why is everything always about _you_?" she exclaimed. "_Your_ plans, _your_ Guardians…"

"Well," he said, raising his eyebrows, "you must admit I have some experience with this kind of project."

"Who cares? We're doing this together! You know you need me to get this done, so you better stick to your promises, mister. You said we were going to work as a team."

Clow smiled sheepishly.

"You didn't really believe that, did you?" he asked. Yuuko's glared seemed capable of setting the house on fire.

"Don't tell me," she muttered through gritted teeth, "that you have everything planned already."

"Ah, well… mostly."

"Mostly meaning 'everything'?"

He couldn't help but grin.

"That's it!" she yelled. "We're changing plans! NOW!"

Clow straightened his glasses, unflappable.

"Are you sure that you want to completely disregard the work of weeks?" he asked. "This could mean a long delay, you know."

"I have all the time in the world," she insisted defiantly.

"Fine," he sighed, "we'll start over, then."

"And this time, you better not ignore me!"

"Of course not," he told her with his most charming smile. "You can choose their names."

He ducked just in time to avoid the chair aimed at his head.


	4. Fact and Fiction

**Title:** Fact and Fiction  
**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC  
**Characters: **Clow and Yuuko  
**Phrase: **#6 – Oh, that is unbelievably pathetic!  
**Warnings/Ratings: **K (G)  
**Synopsis:** Yuuko receives an interesting item as payment.

**Fact and Fiction**

"Guess what I got today!" Yuuko exclaimed cheerfully as soon as Clow entered the shop. She couldn't wait to see his face when she showed him…

"It better be worth the jumping around," he replied, with that superior looking little smile of his. But it couldn't bother her, not today.

"It is more than worth it," she assured him. "You, see, I had a client from another world, today, a young woman. And she gave me–"

"Booze?"

"–her favourite childhood toy," she continued, ignoring him. "This!"

With a maniac grin, Yuuko held out a pink staff that ended in a stylized bird's head. Clow's expression was priceless.

"That is–"

"Unbelievably pathetic! I know!" she laughed. "It even has these stupid little lights, look!"

She pressed a not too carefully disguised button and a red flash shone through some parts of the toy. Horrified, Clow snatched it from her hands.

"Such a bad imitation," he muttered as he examined it closely. Yuuko didn't even bother to hide her laughter; it wasn't often that she got to see him so annoyed.

"Honestly," he continued, "they didn't even try! The material is cheap, the junctures are too obvious, and–" A high-pitched, repetitive noise interrupted him when he inadvertently pushed one of the buttons. "This is _not_ a faithful copy!"

"Of course it's bad," she said, "what else did you expect from a mass production?"

His eyes widened in horror.

"There are thousands of those," Yuuko continued with an evil grin. "Any girl can have one."

"Any girl…" he repeated quietly, looking at the fake staff in disbelief. "So this means that, in that woman's world, there is some version of me who makes low quality toys?"

"Ahaha, no, it's so much better!" she exclaimed. "That staff is based on –listen to this– an _animated cartoon_."

Clow simply stared at her.

"An animated cartoon," she repeated, "about a magical girl and her Cards."

"You surely do not mean…"

"Oh, yes, I do!" Yuuko said, poking his chest with her index finger. "You, my friend, are fictional."

His reply was nothing like she had expected.

"Indeed?" he muttered. "That is interesting…"

"W-what?" she asked. "You're supposed to be offended or something!"

"But it _is_ interesting. Something that can be fiction in one world, and reality in another…" Clow put the staff back in her hands. "I need to take some notes," he said absently as he walked away.

Yuuko stayed behind, somewhat disappointed. He had been annoyed for such a short time…

Ah, well, she'd always have the reminder. She pushed the buttons once again, amused. Those stupid lights would never cease to make her laugh.


	5. First Aids

**Title:** First Aids  
**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC  
**Characters: **Clow and Yuuko  
**Phrase: **#34 – "I'm not unwell, I'm fucking dying" – Jeffrey Bernard  
**Warnings/Ratings: T (P**G-13), because these people are Not Healthy. There's also some swearing, obviously. points at phrase  
**Synopsis:** Traveling across dimensions can be dangerous...

o O o

**First Aids**

Clow made a mental note to never, ever set foot on a world with a remotely puritan culture again, no matter how revealing their books were. That kind of people wasn't very fond of magic as a general rule. Of course, that was no reason to underestimate them– a lesson he should have learned in the seventeenth century, he thought. Crazy fanatics didn't _need_ magic; they were a whole different kind of dangerous.

Besides, their clothes were hell to run in.

A few steps behind him, Yuuko cursed her dress. When she wasn't cursing _him_, that is.

"Only you," she panted, "could manage to actually get chased with torches and pitchforks… and stupid arrows!"

He ducked as one of said weapons zoomed over his head. If they could only lose them for enough time to perform a spell–

Yuuko stumbled and grabbed his arm all of a sudden, clutching the left side of her body with her free hand. When he saw the droplets of blood among her fingers, Clow threw all caution to the winds. He just took her in his arms and disappeared.

o O o

"There," he said, sitting her so she could lean against a tree. "Let me check that, will you? We can't go back to our world while you're unwell."

"I'm not unwell, I'm fucking dying!" she snarled with a voice that proved otherwise. "And it's all your fault!"

Clow chose not to make a comment about who exactly had stolen the farmers' whiskey and proceeded to take a look at her wound. Or he would have, if she would just stop twisting.

"Don't move like that! You'll tear it open," he told her.

"Just a little– there!" Yuuko exclaimed, taking out a whiskey bottle from some hidden pocket of her dress. She emptied almost half of it with just one gulp.

Clow shook his head and tried to get a look at the wounded area, only to discover that her clothing was an inconvenience.

"Just how many layers are you wearing?" he asked.

"Oh, I knew it," she muttered. "You just want to undress me."

"As if I'd never done that before."

"Not while sober."

He bit back a reply and tore the dress open, ignoring her. With a sigh of relief, he saw that her wound was not as bad as he had expected.

"It isn't deep," he assured her, "but it would be safe to clean it, anyway."

"Oh, no, don't you dare!" she shouted at him.

"Come on, it won't hurt too much…"

"Don't you _dare_! I forbid you to use The Bubbles on me!"

"Fine," said Clow. He grabbed what was left of her whiskey and emptied it on the cut.

"Aaargh, you bastard!" she screamed. "That was my painkiller!"

"You won't need it anymore," he said. He quickly muttered a simple healing spell and the wound began to close. Satisfied, he took out his Key.

"What are you doing?" Yuuko asked, confused.

"Taking us home, of course."

"_You_ are taking us home?"

"You just had half a bottle of whiskey," he pointed out.

"So what? I'm still the expert!" she insisted. "Last time you tried to take us home, we ended up on a deserted island in the Bermuda Triangle."

"And _that_ is why you shouldn't do this while drunk," Clow said through gritted teeth. Yuuko let out an exasperated sigh.

"Damn, I need my opium," she said. Clow look at her wound, concerned; it was almost closed already.

"It shouldn't hurt anymore," he said.

"It's not that, I just need my opium."

"You are _unbelievable_," he sighed. Yuuko snorted.

"Don't act all healthy now! Who's the one who gives me the poppies?"

Clow closed his eyes and took a deep breath. This was not the time for fighting.

"Can we _please_ go before they find us?" he asked.

"Fine," she muttered. "Just try to get us at least to the right continent this time."

"I'll leave you right in your living-room."

"Oh, stop bragging and just go!"

When the villagers reached the place, all they found was an empty whiskey bottle.


	6. Cranes

**Title:** Cranes  
**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC  
**Characters: **Clow and Yuuko  
**Phrase: **#8 – I did what I had to do  
**Warnings/Ratings: **K (G)  
**Synopsis:** Clow has heard of a certain Japanese tradition.

**Cranes**

His fingers moved deftly, folding the piece of coloured paper with ease. In a matter of seconds, the origami crane was finished. Perfect. He smiled, satisfied, and laid it on the table among others of its kind.

Watching from the doorway, Yuuko couldn't suppress a smile of her own. When he was like this, he almost seemed to be a different man than the one who took an almost childish pleasure in sweets and mischief. His peaceful state of mind was passed to everyone and everything around him. In those moments, it was hard to believe that underneath that calm hid a measureless -even terrible- power.

"I know I am a pleasure to look at," he said without taking his gaze off the paper, "but you don't have to do it from afar."

"You vain thing, I was looking at the cranes," she lied.

Clow's eyes twinkled with amusement for an instant, but he didn't say anything. He simply nodded at the free chair in front of his own, and Yuuko thought it couldn't be too bad to keep him company for a while. Her annoyed sigh was only out of habit as she sat.

There were over a dozen paper birds on the table already; their size and colour varied, but they were all beautiful. All perfect. She wondered how many more he meant to do.

It had been Yuuko herself who told him about this legend. It was said that if a person folded a thousand cranes, he or she would get a wish granted. She had mentioned it in passing, as something people with their power wouldn't need; but she _could_ see him doing something so impossibly hopeful.

The man was truly desperate, she thought, and where she had expected a dark amusement there was only sympathy.

"You know I cannot grant you your wish," she said. "Do you really think you will get it this way?"

It was a harsh thing to say, but his smile didn't falter.

"This is for a different wish," he told her. Yuuko snorted.

"You know, that's exactly the kind of thing that ruins my business."

Clow chuckled, but still didn't lift his gaze. For a few seconds, he looked at the recently finished crane on his palm.

"I just want them to be happy," he whispered at last.

"You know they will," she assured him. "She will take care of them."

This time he was definitely avoiding her eyes when he took another piece of paper. He started folding it quickly but carefully, without allowing himself the slightest mistake. Yuuko could only imagine what his living, sentient creations would mean to a man who put so much care and loving on an origami crane.

"I know they will be _safe_," Clow said. "What I wish- I want them to understand, in time, that I just… I did what I had to do."

He looked at her for the first time, and his smile was sad.

"I suppose you cannot grant me that, either," he said.

Yuuko smiled at him in spite of herself.

"I can help you fold the cranes."


	7. A Present

**Author's Notes:** Sorry about the delay! I've been in exams term… Thanks to all of you who've been reading and reviewing. :)

**Title:** A Present  
**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC  
**Characters: **Clow/Yuuko  
**Phrase: **#49 – You look gorgeous  
**Warnings/Ratings: **K  
**Synopsis:** A present from Clow Reed is never just what it looks like.

**A Present**

Yuuko inspected the pair of beautiful, silver-coloured shoes very carefully. They seemed to be completely safe; at least, there weren't any spells that she could detect. But it was still a suspicious matter.

When Clow Reed randomly showed up in your garden with a smile and a present, it _had_ to be a suspicious matter.

"I promise I didn't jinx them," he said after a few minutes, sounding much too amused to be trusted. She looked up and glared at him.

"All right, let's suppose for a moment that you haven't done anything to _these_," she said, waving one of the shoes in front of his face. "What did you do?"

"Nothing," he assured her. "Not _everything_ I give you is a way to make up for something I did."

"So you decided to start making up for things you're going to do later?"

Clow sighed in a dramatic way.

"Why is it so difficult to believe that I merely wanted to bring you a present?"

"Why?" she snorted. "Because you have never in your life done anything without getting something in exchange, that's why."

"My dear Yuuko," he replied in a calm voice, "you must be confusing me with yourself."

She gritted her teeth, controlling the sudden need to yell at him- she wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. Not this time.

"I know you're getting something out of this," she said. "I just _know_ it."

"How about the pleasure of seeing a beautiful woman wearing the beautiful shoes that I bought for her?"

Yuuko didn't believe him for a second. She crossed her arms and glared at him. He stared back.

Five minutes later, she was beginning to get bored.

"What do you want?" she asked at last.

"Try them on for me," he said with his most charming smile. "Please?"

She considered her position. It was a sensible request, she could get done with it quickly, and she had already checked that there weren't any weird spells on the shoes. It couldn't hurt to put them on for a moment.

And if it did, it would hurt _him_ a lot more when she got back at him. It was a win-win situation.

Something was very, very suspicious about it.

However, Yuuko was willing to put an end to it soon. She sat down, took off her slippers, and put on her new silver shoes.

"There," she said. "Happy?"

"Very much so," Clow replied, smiling.

It was strange, but she started to wonder if maybe there wasn't any catch this time. The shoes _were_ beautiful, and he had been telling the truth about their lack of jinxes. What if it was _all_ truth, for once?

She knew him, after all. She had seen how he was with his Guardians and with the Mokonas. He could get all sappy and sentimental, sometimes…

"You look gorgeous."

…and then, of course, he had to go and make it all look suspicious again.

"That's it," she told him. "Spill it."

Clow looked at her with his most innocent expression -the one that usually meant he had put something in her sake- but he couldn't hold it for long, and he chuckled.

"I knew you weren't paying attention," he said, "when I read that book to Soel and Larg…"

Yuuko stared at him.

"What does a children's book have to do with anything, and why would I pay attention to it?"

"Because then you would know about silver shoes," he said, grinning, "and the Wicked Witch of the East."

This time, she did yell.

* * *

**More Author's Notes:** I know most of us picture _red_ shoes when thinking about the Wizard of Oz; but they were silver in the book, and that's what Clow would have been familiar with. And Clow would _so_ read the Mokonas a book about a girl who travelled around with three strange friends and a fluffy mascot… 


	8. Arrangements

**Title:** Arrangements  
**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC  
**Characters: **Clow and Yuuko  
**Phrase: **#29 –"We all need a little trauma" - "Isabel" - Ego Likeness  
**Warnings/Ratings: **K+ (PG)  
**Synopsis:** Clow has plans for Watanuki. The problem is getting Yuuko to agree with them.

**Arrangements**

In between smokes, Yuuko sighed and leaned back onto her couch. Or tried to, at least; it wasn't meant to have two people lounging on it. But they had managed to fit in, somehow, and they were both too comfortable - and lazy - to move.

Clow smiled to himself, enjoying the chance to look at her from so close. She was beautiful, even when she was annoyed.

No, _especially_ when she was annoyed.

"You still haven't given me a good reason," said Yuuko. "Why should I look after him? He's from _your_ side."

"Because," he explained patiently, "I won't be around in his time. I thought that much was obvious."

She rolled her eyes, with a little disbelieving snort.

"Oh, please. As if that meant anything to you," she said. "If you can set things up for the girl, you can set things up for him."

"I _am_ making plans for him," Clow defended himself. "What else would you call this?"

"Nagging."

"Is it working?"

"What do you think?"

He grinned, and there was a spark of mischief in his eyes as he leaned closer to her.

"I think," he whispered, "you're playing hard to get."

Yuuko glared at him. Obviously, that meant he was right. She had already decided to get involved. The difficult part was making her admit it.

He wondered if she enjoyed being convinced as much as he enjoyed convincing her.

"It won't be so terrible," he insisted, now seriously. "He is a good boy, helpful and hardworking. But there is much he needs to learn. You know that nobody else can help him."

"Or he could take care of his own problems," Yuuko replied. "Why do you insist on fixing everyone else's lives?"

"Not _everyone's_, certainly. But I can do something for him - I should, in fact, given our... connection," said Clow.

"And what will you give me, if I decide to do it?"

"The old magnolia tree," he promised. He knew she liked it, and it was precious enough for him to be a meaningful price. "The rest, I believe, he must pay for himself."

"Of course. It's _his_ wish," she said, nodding, and then she chuckled. "Are you sure this is going to help him? Because I don't exactly plan on making his life easy, you know."

"That's quite all right," Clow said. "We all need a little trauma."

Yuuko stared at him and, for some reason, burst out laughing.

"Sure... what's the worst that can happen?" she panted. "That he ends up like _you_?"

He frowned.

"I didn't turn out that badly," he said, "all things considered."

"Well, you didn't swear revenge on the world at large," she agreed. "But that doesn't mean you're sane."

"I grew up in a rather complicated situation, you have to admit that. Besides," he added with a smile, "I didn't have Yuuko to guide me."

"Pity, that," she replied. "I would've had fun torturing you."

"Ah, but then you would have missed all the other kinds of fun."

"Pervert," she said, but she was grinning. Clow chuckled, unashamed.

"Will you do it for me?" he asked. "And for him. He didn't ask for those powers."

"Nobody does," she answered. "You're just too soft."

"So are you."

"But I really shouldn't be. It's bad for business."

He gave her a meaningful look. Yuuko sighed.

"Hardworking, did you say?" she asked, and suddenly there was a mischievous smile on her lips. "You know, if he cooks like you, I might just give him a chance."


	9. Infinite Improbability

**Disclaimer:** Clow and Yuuko belong to CLAMP, all the other references are from Douglas Adams's books.

**Title:** Infinite Improbability

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters: **Clow/Yuuko and a special guest

**Phrase: **#18 – "It touched me right… urrrp! Never mind, that was gas." Ponder Stibbons - SDMB

**Warnings/Ratings: **T just in case, but there's nothing major.

**Synopsis:** Some people are too annoying even for Clow and Yuuko. (Crossover with _Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy_)

* * *

**Infinite Improbability**

Yuuko had a bad feeling. She wasn't sure about what, but she had it, and that disturbed her. There should be nothing to worry about; it was a sunny day, they had finished work early (without fighting, for once), and now they sat on her garden while they had tea. Yet there was something on the air, a certain sense of foreboding...

It didn't help when Clow's expression suddenly turned blank. It was even worse to hear him come back to his senses with a tired groan.

"What is it?" she asked. "Trouble ahead?"

"Even better," he sighed. "It's _him_ again."

Yuuko couldn't hold back a curse, but she soon realized that she didn't have time to run away. Before she could react properly, a spaceship in the shape of a white running shoe had landed on her backyard. How such a huge vehicle fit there didn't bother her; with the combination of the magic around the house and that stupid Infinite Improbability Drive, anything could happen. What _did_ bother her was the man coming out of it. He would have been recognized anywhere in the Galaxy. He claimed it was because of his sheer coolness, but in truth it was the extra arm and head what did the trick.

"Yuuko, baby!" Zaphod exclaimed. "Long time no see!"

"Not nearly long enough," she drawled. "What did you do this time?"

"It wasn't my fault, I swear! It was all a setup! You see, I was in this really cool bar..."

The witch tried very hard not to sigh. There he went again, rambling as usual. Attempting to stop him was no use and she knew it; Zaphod had an ego that made Clow and Cerberus put together look humble.

Not that his tales were interesting to anyone else. In fact, she soon noticed it was a lot more fun to watch Clow slowly build up pressure – a change much too subtle for unskilled eyes, but not for someone who knew him as well as she did.

"...so this ugly alien tried to hit me..."

The wizard pushed his glasses up his nose. Yuuko prepared herself for the show.

"...and it touched me right... urrrp! Never mind, that was gas."

"Is it necessary," Clow interrupted, "to listen to the story of your life? It's not as exciting as you seem to think, I'm afraid. And the narrator leaves much to be desired."

"Not exciting?" Zaphod snorted. "Look, mate, _I_ survived a Total Perspective Vortex. Guess you can't say the same."

"It was a fake one. We all know _that_ part," he replied, and then he smiled. "As for myself, I think I'd do rather well, in fact."

"All right, business," Yuuko said, clapping her hands to get their attention. Listening to Clow ramble about _his_ ego wasn't an appealing perspective, either. "What do you want?"

"I thought of going to Ursa Minor Beta," said Zaphod. Yuuko glared at him.

"And that's why you came to bother me? You have a spaceship!"

"Yeah, well, the computer's being an idiot again," he replied. "Can't you give it a good kick or something?"

"Do I look like your mechanic?" she said through gritted teeth. "You better have good payment for this."

"The usual, babe, don't worry. Just go and beat some sense into it, will you?"

Yuuko considered her options for a moment. Leaving Clow and Zaphod alone didn't seem exactly a good idea. There was an easier way to grant his wish, after all.

"You only have to be nice to the poor machine for a change. Then it'll listen," she told him. "Now pay and get off my garden."

"So soon? I thought I might stay for a while..."

"Don't start with that again, Beeblebrox," she warned him. He gave her what he apparently thought was an irresistible smile.

"C'mon, baby, won't you ever say yes? Bet you never did it with a man who's got three arms."

"Hello," Clow intervened, "I'm still here, you know."

Zaphod's expression didn't change.

"Hey, if you want you can join-"

"I said NO," Yuuko snapped. "Not _ever_. Not if I had ten Pan Galactic Gargle Blasters and you were the last man in the Galaxy."

"Whoa, no need to be so harsh!" Zaphod exclaimed. "There, have your bottles. And if you change your mind, you know where to find me..."

"Go. Away," she said. He finally got the message and left. Yuuko turned to Clow, who looked like he was still trying to process what he'd been told.

"Did he just – I mean – Does he even _know_ who he's talking to?" he asked. "Why do you let him in, anyway?"

"He invented the best booze in the Galaxy," Yuuko replied, handing him one of the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster bottles. Clow took a rather unsafe gulp.

"Seriously," he said, "he's worse than the one with the random insults..."

"The one who called you a four-eyed creep?"

He glared. She grinned.

"That was you," he pointed out at last, already swaying a little. Yuuko laughed out loud and made him sit down, as he babbled some nonsense about the Total Perspective Vortex once again.

"There. Let's have a drink and forget about that idiot," she said. "And for the last time, Clow, you are _not_ the centre of the universe."

Before he took another gulp, she could have sworn she heard him mutter _close enough_.


	10. Substitute

**Title:** Substitute

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters: **Clow and Yuuko (and Cards)

**Phrase: **#16 – Agh! That's awful!

**Warnings/Ratings:** K+

**Synopsis:** Yuuko's perception skills shouldn't be underestimated.

**Substitute**

It was unusual for Clow to be late. Yuuko wasn't exactly worried – with a presence like his, she was bound to feel it if something _big_ happened – but she was beginning to wonder what was taking him so long. She was ready to open the sake without him, when she finally heard him enter the house.

Yuuko looked at the wizard's figure for a moment, then narrowed her eyes.

"All right," she said, "where is he, why did he send you, and what made him think I wouldn't notice?"

"I knew this would happen," Mirror sighed, defeated. "The just wouldn't listen..."

"They?"

"Clow _was_ going to come," said the Card. "But Yue said he should stay at home. He's got a terrible headache."

"He got _drunk_," Yuuko corrected, gritting her teeth. "Without me."

Mirror blushed.

"Agh! That's awful!" the witch exclaimed. She sat up and poured herself a glass of sake. "Your Master and I are going to have a very serious talk, you know."

"Um, maybe I should leave, then..."

"Not yet," said Yuuko. "He's going to ask what happened here, isn't he? And you'll have to answer."

"Yes," Mirror replied, hesitating a little, "but I really don't think – "

"So you tell him," she interrupted, "that I said it's terribly selfish of him to send _you_ just because he's had too much to drink."

"But that's what I _do_," the Card said, puzzled. "I'm made for this kind of things, like the boring jobs or the unpleasant visits..."

Yuuko took a gulp of her sake. Mirror looked suddenly horrified.

"Oh, no – I – I didn't mean it that way! I'm so, so sorry!"

The witch couldn't help but laugh at that. She knew it'd confuse the poor Card even further, but she couldn't control it.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"You talk like a girl," she panted.

"I _am_ a... oh."

"Listen," Yuuko said, finally regaining her composure, "I need to ask you a favour."

"I can't do anything against him," Mirror warned her, looking suspicious. "I mean, I couldn't if I tried."

"It's not _against_ him," the witch replied, as she waved her hand dismissively. "I just want you to give him a message."

o O o

Clow's Guardians kept giving him strange looks as he laughed at the note he'd just received, but he decided he wasn't even going to try to explain.

_Idiot,_

_Next time you want to skip work, you could warn me about it instead of sending the poor girl. (And don't say Yue forced you to; you spoil him.) I'm not going to kill you for staying at home, after all._

_I am going to kill you for not sharing the booze. Invite me next time, you greedy bastard. Or at least hide it better._

_Yuuko_

_P.S. – You actually look kind of cute when you blush._


	11. Focus

**Title:** Focus

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters: **Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase: **#35–"If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun" – Katherine Hepburn

**Warnings/Ratings:** K

**Synopsis:** Yuuko decides to take advantage of Clow's greatest weakness.

* * *

**Focus**

Yuuko had always found Clow's neverending thirst for new magical developments very annoying. It wasn't his smug attitude about his successes what really bothered her; it wasn't that sometimes he left everything he was doing to chase some crazy idea that might fly away, as if he couldn't simply write it down and return to their work. They were never going to finish those creatures if he kept getting distracted, but even that wasn't the worst part.

No, what truly annoyed Yuuko were the times when his experiments went wrong. It didn't happen often, of course, because he _was_ very talented and experienced – which also meant that, when he did fail, he did so much more noisily than the average wizard. Clow's mistakes tended to end in explosions, fires, or the occasional flood or hurricane.

It was especially frustrating when, like this time, the explosions took place at _her_ house.

"How many times do I have to say it?" she snapped as she made her way towards the kneeling sorcerer through the bits and pieces of what was left of the desk. "You should stick to magical theory! Mixing things up is not your specialty."

"I'll fix it in a minute," he assured her. Give me a hand, will you? I can't see a thing."

"You can't – what did you _do_?" she asked, anxious, while she helped him up. She knew she wouldn't like the answer the moment she saw his sheepish grin.

"Broke my glasses."

"You idiot," said Yuuko, not quite sure if she was relieved because nothing had happened or angry because she had shown herself worried. "Just repair them and stop fooling around."

"Well, I _would_, if I could find them," Clow sighed, squinting at the mess at his feet. "That would be useful, come to think of it... something to help you find little things..."

"Didn't you have enough bright ideas for a day?"

She found the glasses, fixed them – and hesitated. She was sure that Clow couldn't make out her grin, but he must have had a bad feeling, because his eyes narrowed even more.

"Give them back," he said.

"Why would I?" Yuuko asked slyly. "After all, I now have in my hands the greatest vulnerability of the most powerful sorcerer in the world. I can't believe you were so careless with these – evil overlords tend to be a lot more complicated when it comes to their weaknesses –"

"I am not an evil overlord," he muttered, rubbing his temples, "and it's _not_ a weakness. I can still feel your presence, you know."

"Prove it," she told him in a sing-song voice, dancing around the disaster that he had left in the room.

Clow wasn't bluffing, and he headed straight towards her, just like she had expected. The other thing that Yuuko had predicted correctly was that he would stumble on one of the plenty of non-magical pieces of trash that lay on his way. He had good reflexes, though, and regained his balance immediately. That was a pity; she had been looking forward to the image of the world's greatest wizard lying flat on the floor.

"This is not funny, Yuuko," he said, with a look that might have been menacing if it wasn't slightly unfocused. "It's quite childish, indeed."

"I beg to differ!" she replied, still laughing at him. "Of course it's funny. You look a lot less dignified with all that squinting."

"That's it!" Clow snapped, and The Erase shone between his fingers. "Say goodbye to your sake."

Yuuko gasped.

"You _wouldn't_!"

"Try me."

"Don't be ridiculous. I know you wouldn't do that," she said, trying to gain some time. "You're just angry because this shows you aren't perfect."

She had obviously struck a nerve there, and it worked. He put away the Card and straightened himself up.

"It happens to accomplished Seers," he huffed. "_You_ should know about that, with all your talk about balance. I am quite lucky, in fact. Tiresias was blind –"

"Oh, please. I'm a Seer too, and I don't need these telescopes."

"There is only your little drinking problem."

"You are _never_ getting these back," Yuuko told him, annoyed. "Ever."

Clow didn't bother to answer. He risked one decided step to close the distance between them and, before she could react, his lips were on hers. It wasn't even a proper kiss – more like a peck, really – but it lasted long enough for him to snatch his glasses from her hand.

"I win," he said, grinning, as he pushed them up his nose. Yuuko replied with the only thing that crossed her mind.

"That's _cheating_!"

"I prefer calling it 'thinking outside the box'," he told her. "If you obey all the rules, you miss all the fun. Not to mention that there weren't any rules to begin with..."

"Well, I'm setting rules from now on!"

"...were you even listening?"

"Idiot."

"Ah."


	12. Just Like Smoke

**Title:** Just Like Smoke  
**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC  
**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko  
**Phrase:** #3 - You are insane  
**Warnings/Ratings:** T for opium  
**Synopsis:** Nothing lasts too long for Clow Reed.

* * *

It might be the opium, he thinks, what makes her seem so unreal. She looks distant, watching the smoke drift slowly around her, lost in who knows what thoughts; more beautiful than ever, in his eyes. They are sharing her pipe and it almost feels like a kiss.

He won't take any further risks, not yet. Not until he can't help it anymore. He knows that this joy will be short-lived, that any step forward will bring him closer to the end.

_You are going to lose this_, a voice on the back of his mind repeats. _You are going to lose this very soon_.

He almost wants to run away, sometimes, to give up everything and just run away. But he knows he can't do that. He needs to stay with her; they have many things to take care of, many people to protect. This is not the time or the place for their own happiness.

He watches her now, but she is looking away, not even noticing his stare. She is unreadable. He wonders if she sees what he sees, if she is aware that their love and its death cannot be stopped.

She probably does, he thinks. She pretends to hate him sometimes. She might be playing with him, or she might believe her own words, or she might be trying, like he is, to run away. He likes the uncertainty.

Their eyes meet for an instant when she turns to take the pipe from him. He would kiss her, if he dared, but it is not the time yet.

So he speaks to her instead, the only thing he can do to prevent her from looking away. He tells her about his plans for the little girl again, the details she still doesn't know, the reasons why it means so much to him. He can blame it on the opium later, when she teases him about it; he can pretend he doesn't realize that he's babbling just so she will listen.

"You are insane," she tells him. And yet she smiles at him, with an affection he rarely sees in her.

"Perhaps," he replies, "but it will work."

She doesn't answer, but her smile stays, and she pats his head as if he was a small child. At times like these, he feels that she pities him a little.

He doesn't mind it. No matter what she thinks of him, he knows that she understands him, better than anyone ever has; she knows where he is coming from, why he does the things he does. She doesn't always agree - and that is part of her charm on him, perhaps the greatest part - but she _understands_.

They must be together, he thinks, somewhere in one of infinite worlds. There must be a time and place for their love, even if it is not here and now.

The thought isn't as comforting as it should.


	13. An Act of Creation

**Title:** An Act of Creation

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #27 – A beginning is a very delicate time…

**Warnings/Ratings:** K

**Synopsis: **Clow teaches one of the most important lessons in life.

o O o

**An Act of Creation**

"A beginning is a very delicate time," Clow said, pacing across the room. "This is when everything takes shape, when we set the bases for what we will obtain in the end. Even the tiniest detail is of great importance now. Before we start, you must understand that what we are about to do is an act of creation – and, as such, it must be an act of love. We must make our best efforts now, and let that love shine through our creation."

He paused for breath and stopped walking at last.

"So, are we ready, then?" he asked. The answer came almost before he had finished speaking.

"Yaa-ay! Cake!"

Once everyone had put on an apron – red for Soel, blue for Larg, and a plain white one for Clow – they looked for all the necessary ingredients. Even under the magician's direction, the Mokonas managed to make a mess of his kitchen as they opened and emptied all the cabinets. Soon, everything they needed was on the counter: flour, sugar, butter, cream, cocoa…

Clow gave his approval and began to explain what they had to do. The recipe he had chosen was relatively easy to follow, so the Mokonas wouldn't make any mistakes that couldn't be fixed, even if they were a little overenthusiastic as usual.

"The first thing we do," he said, "is mix the ingredients to make the batter. The flour goes in this bowl – careful, not so much – and we add the butter and sugar, and all the dry ingredients… very well. Now, in this other bowl, we – wait!"

Larg stopped in midair and fell sitting on the counter, still grabbing one of the wooden spoons.

"Mokona wants to stir!"

"Just wait a minute, all right? We haven't reached that part yet," Clow explained. "We must combine the wet ingredients first, in the other – ah, thank you."

"But Clow can use magic to bake, right?" Soel asked as he passed him the bowl.

"Yes," he replied, nodding, "but it's more fun this way, don't you think?"

He grinned at the tiny creatures as he wiped his hands on his apron, and then he poured the wet mix into the other one.

"So, _now_ you stir."

"Yaaay!"

Clow let them do that as he prepared the mix of sugar and cocoa for the next step. When they were done, he helped them pour it into a baking pan.

"Wow," Larg exclaimed, "this cake is going to be really big!"

"Of course. It must be enough for Cerberus and Yuuko."

"Yuuko really eats a lot!"

"I _heard_ that," came her voice from the next room. Clow chuckled, but didn't deign to answer. Instead, he gave the sugar and cocoa mix to the Mokonas, who sprinkled it more than generously over the batter.

"Well, now we are almost ready to put it in the oven," he told them. "But first, the most important ingredient of all…"

"Brandy!" Soel and Larg cheered in unison.

"Exactly! I see you are learning," he said, as he poured the drink into the baking pan. Then he finally put it in the oven.

"And now we wait?" asked Soel.

"No," Clow answered. "Now we clean up."

"Awww…"

o O o

"Ah, finally!" Yuuko exclaimed when Clow entered the room with two slices of cake.

"Finally?" he asked. "Well, I suppose time seems to go slower when you are lounging in someone else's living room instead of doing the actual work."

"Don't be silly and just give me that," she replied, taking one of the pieces. "Mmm, it's delicious! How much chocolate does it have?"

"That is entirely their doing," Clow admitted. She must have noticed his growing amusement, because she suddenly gave him a suspicious look.

"All right, what's the trick?"

"There is nothing in the cake that shouldn't be there, I promise."

"But…"

"But," he continued her sentence, "you sounded so offended when they said you ate a lot that I thought we should prove them wrong. So I gave the rest of the cake to them and Cerberus."

Yuuko swallowed. She looked down at her almost empty plate and took a deep breath.

"So this is all I get," she said, with perfect calm. Clow nodded innocently.

"You're going to be punished for this," she warned him in a sing-song voice.

"Really?" he asked. But, for once, Yuuko's grin looked even more dangerous than his own.

"Next time, I get to choose your apron."


	14. On Aesthetics

**Title:** On Aesthetics

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #37."The most beautiful things in the world are the most useless." - John Ruskin

**Warnings/Ratings:** K

**Synopsis: **Clow likes philosophical discussions. Yuuko isn't feeling platonic at all.

* * *

**On Aesthetics**

Tiny lights floated over the palm of his hand, changing colours, spiralling and merging with each other as he guided them in their dance. They were in constant movement; it looked like the bright surface of a sphere that rotated slowly. A blue thread turned green, then red, and moved across the centre of the structure following a small gesture of his free hand.

"You must be awfully bored," a voice said from behind him.

"Nonsense," Clow replied, without taking his eyes off the sphere. "I am working on an experiment in light and colour."

"Really."

"Mm-hm."

Yuuko sat on the arm of the chair, pushing him to a side to make herself some room.

"And is there a point to your 'experiment'?" she asked. "Apart from the pretty shiny things, that is."

"I happen to believe that the 'pretty shiny things', as you call them, are a perfectly valid reason to do this."

"I thought you were more practical than that."

He looked up at last, trying to decipher her expression. Sometimes it was very difficult to figure out if she was being serious or not, even for him. In the end, he just smiled and shook his head.

"The most beautiful things in the world are the most useless, is that what you're trying to say? But even beauty for the sake of beauty is worth seeking," he told her. "Besides, it doesn't exclude practicality. I wouldn't call my Cards useless."

"Which one?" Yuuko interrupted, pretending to be thoughtful. "And, come to think of it, I've never seen your Guardians _do_ anything either."

"You aren't one to talk about inactivity, my dear," he told her, with a perfectly calm expression; although it took some effort not to laugh at her scowl. "Don't try to change the subject just because I'm winning the argument."

"Who says you are winning? You only _assumed_ I was generalizing. I said those silly light games of yours were pointless, not that all beauty was."

She reclined, sidewards, on what little space of the armchair she had managed to secure for herself and rested her face on her hand. Clow finally let go of the floating sphere, which dissolved in a few spirals of colour before disappearing completely. With a small smile, he took a strand of Yuuko's hair, letting it slide across his palm.

"Of course," he said softly. "It would be quite sad if we couldn't appreciate the figure of the female body, or an elegant face… or a long, black curtain of silky hair." He paused for a moment, and then looked up at her bright eyes, much closer to his than they had been just a few seconds ago. "I think Dark is the prettiest one."

Yuuko nearly slid off the chair.

"_What_?"

"No, I mean it. But don't tell the others; they would get jealous."

"You think this is very funny, don't you?" she said, stressing each of the words. He couldn't help but let out a chuckle at last.

"Certainly. Life, my dear Yuuko, is nothing but a gigantic joke."

"Don't get all philosophical now," she told him, getting up with a frustrated sigh. "You're annoying."

"Then let us share some sake, until we forget how to think properly," he said. She gave him a rather pointed look.

"You get _more_ philosophical when you're drunk."

That, Clow had to admit, was something he couldn't argue.


	15. Of Gifts and Curses

**Title:** Of Gifts and Curses

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #22. Don't worry so much.

**Warnings/Ratings:** K

**Synopsis: **Too much of a good thing...

**

* * *

**

**Of Gifts and Curses**

Yuuko took another sip of her sake, trying to ignore Clow's ramblings as he walked among the many things that lay scattered on her garden. When he had first mentioned this, she had thought it was just an excuse to look at her treasures in more detail, but she soon discovered that he actually meant it when he said they needed _cleaning_. He used magic for that, of course, which left him free to talk as much as he wanted. He seemed to enjoy complaining.

"Honestly, look at the state of these things," he told her with a disapproving look. "Do you realize the value of what you have got here? You must take better care of it. This is taking much longer than it should, with the way you've abandoned everything."

"It was your idea," she defended herself. "I was perfectly happy with waiting a little longer."

"A few more decades, you mean."

"Of course. But it would be worth the wait, and you know that."

He shook his head and used a levitating spell on the carpet to shake the dust off it. Yuuko had the distinct impression that there was no need to do it with such energy – or to direct it so obviously at her, at least – but he was done before she could mention it. The carpet floated over his head and laid itself on a rope, staying quite still after that.

"It wouldn't be any trouble for you to keep things in order," he said. "You _do_ have magic."

"To waste it on cleaning?" she snorted. "Who do you think I am, Mary Poppins?"

Clow couldn't hold back a grin.

"Certainly not. Mary would never let someone like me step into her house."

"That's because there _is_ no house," she said, just to be annoying. He rolled his eyes at her.

"I know there is no house. It was just a manner of sp–"

Yuuko jumped to her feet the very moment he stopped speaking. That blank look on his face was always a bad sign, but the change had never been so sudden before. He was already shaking when she reached him, seconds later, and it was clear that he couldn't see her; his eyes looked past her, unfocused. He was breathing much too fast. She held him softly to make him kneel down, so he wouldn't fall and hurt himself, and for a few minutes she just stayed there with her arms wrapped around him.

She felt very stupid doing that. After all, she knew perfectly well that there was nothing she could do except wait for the trance to pass on its own. But he looked so pale and dazed, and he wouldn't stop trembling; she couldn't bring herself to let go of him. It took a few minutes for his breathing to slow down again, but at last he steadied himself, blinked a couple of times, and looked up. She smiled at him and offered him a hand to help him stand up.

"It's over," she said. "Come."

They walked very slowly, since he was still somewhat dizzy, until they reached the veranda. Once she had made him sit down, she tried to give him some of her sake. Clow shook his head and winced at the movement.

"I have a terrible headache already," he said in a hoarse voice, but she insisted.

"Come on. You need something strong," she told him. He gave in and took a sip, probably just to humour her, because he immediately put it down.

"Just let me lie down a moment…"

Sitting next to him, Yuuko let him rest his head on her lap. She was about to remove his glasses, but he claimed that his headache would be worse without them, so she didn't touch them. Neither of them said anything for a while. Only when he seemed calmer did she ask what she had in mind.

"Was it very bad, what you saw?"

"Bad?" he repeated, frowning a little. "No. Truth be told, it was nothing very important."

"It certainly didn't look that way," she told him, and her voice sounded colder than she had intended it to. But she couldn't help it. It got on her nerves, when he was so secretive, as if she couldn't handle things. Of course, though, he noticed that she didn't believe him. He turned around a little, just enough to face her.

"It's not what I see what gives me trouble," he said softly. "It's _how_. As if… as if everything was happening in the same moment. I was _here_ – I could see you running towards me – and at the same time Yue was upset because I arrived late and Cerberus was asking me questions and she was wearing another new dress and he was running away from something –"

"Shhh." Yuuko put a finger on his lips to silence him; he was beginning to breathe too fast again. "Calm down."

He closed his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, and then turned his gaze towards the garden. He looked so far away, she thought, out of reach even for her. They were almost equals in power – almost, as it was proven again and again – and yet things were so different for her, more complicated in some respects and in others so much simpler. When it came to foresight, she was the luckier one by far.

Slowly, hesitating a little although she didn't want to admit it to herself, she ran her fingers through his hair once. Then she waited. He didn't say anything, and she knew him well enough to take it as encouragement to go on. She hoped it was as soothing for him as it was for her.

"Is this what you mean, then?" she wondered aloud. "Is this what makes it too much?"

"The strongest visions are the rarest ones, too. I can handle these," he replied. "It's the little things."

"For example?" she asked. It wasn't common for him to be this open, not about important things like this, and she was going to keep him like that for as long as she could. It would be good for both of them. He needed to talk about it, and she needed to know.

Clow thought about it for a moment before he answered.

"I know where your hand is going next," he said at last. Yuuko stopped in the middle of a movement, taken aback. Instead of doing the same as before, she caressed his forehead lightly, on the pretext of taking a few rebellious wisps of hair off his eyes.

"Do you?" she whispered. He smiled a little, and she could tell that she hadn't changed anything after all.

"Yes," he told her. "I also know that the carpet is going to slide off that rope in a few minutes. I know that the next person who will walk down the street will be an old man dressed in blue. I know that it will be cloudy in the evening. We will run around trying to get everything inside of the house before it rains. But we won't find the smallest of those fans," he said, pointing at them, "no matter how hard we look. You will step on it tomorrow."

"I thought you were used to that," she said. "Those things are the ones that take the least power to figure out. Anybody can see them."

"But can they see all of them, all the time?" He turned to look at her again as he spoke. "I used to believe that, too. I used to think that it was normal. Then I realised I couldn't control it anymore."

Yuuko didn't answer. It was difficult to imagine how that must be… impossible, even. She knew it was selfish of her, but she was glad that she couldn't feel it.

"I can't help but wonder, sometimes…" Clow began to say, almost to himself. "I wonder if I brought it upon myself."

"You didn't ask for this," she told him fiercely. It was ridiculous to even think about it. How could he let himself get such ideas?

"Not for this, no. But I asked for other things. I was going to show them all, wasn't I? I had to be the best. Always one step further, in everything," he said. "I was a young fool, and now I have to live with the doubts."

"Don't worry so much. There is no point in that," she sighed. "Either way, it was meant to be. Nothing you did or didn't do could have changed that."

"It feels different, though," said Clow, "cursing your fate or cursing yourself."

She shook her head, still not convinced, but she couldn't help smiling at him. He acted like such a melancholy old man, sometimes; it made her softer than she would have wanted him to see. It felt wrong to let him believe those things. She leaned down and placed a kiss on his forehead.

"If you have to live with the future," she said, "the least you can do is let go of the past."

"Perhaps I should," he sighed, closing his eyes again. "It tires me."

Carefully, Yuuko did take off his glasses this time. With luck, he might fall asleep and have some rest at last. She was about to doze off herself, lulled by the silence and the sake, when Clow spoke softly once more, with his eyes still shut and a smile that was amused and warm and sad all at the same time.

"And he thinks his Sight is not good enough," he whispered. "Silly child."

There was a rustle of cloth as the carpet slid onto the ground.


	16. Anecdotical

**Title:** Anecdotic

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #32."Heresy is just another word for freedom of thought." – Graham Greene

**Warnings/Ratings:** K

**Synopsis**: Long lives include a lot of long stories.

* * *

**Anecdotical**

One of Clow's many quirks, Yuuko discovered when they started working together, was the habit of taking notes about almost everything. She didn't really understand it. He was very proud of his memory, after all; so it wasn't that he feared forgetting things. Even so, he spent plenty of time writing, every time that he tried a new spell or they came back from one of their travels through a strange world. It was almost a ritual.

The first few times, Yuuko's curiosity had got the better of her, and she hadn't bothered to hide it. She thought it was interesting to find out what he wrote about. This became even more fun when she realised that, in fact, reading over his shoulder and asking him silly questions was one of those priceless ways to get him worked up without any effort whatsoever.

Then again, that was only _the first few times_. By now it was beginning to get tiresome.

"Is this really necessary?" she sighed. "Who's going to read all these things, anyway?"

"I have told you many times already, I'm doing this for myself. I like to put my thoughts in order," Clow replied, without taking his eyes off the page. "Besides, people _will_ read my notes. I have more than enough relatives who will find them useful someday. Not to mention that I can, and will, make sure that every book ends up where it should be read."

"And that nothing ends up where it _shouldn't_ be read," Yuuko snorted. "Admit it."

"That goes without saying," he said, nodding. "Now, if you'd just let me finish –"

"You said that an hour ago. Come on, how much more can you write about that world?"

"I thought it was rather interesting."

"I thought it was much too similar to some places _here_," Yuuko muttered, frowning. They had never left a dimension in such a hurry before. It was a dangerous place and, what made it worse, there was nothing they could do about that.

It hadn't been a matter of overthrowing a tyrant or defeating evil this time. Those things seemed easy in comparison. But even people like them couldn't – _shouldn't_, she thought, although perhaps Clow would disagree with her – try to change a whole society's way of thinking.

"That's what I meant. It's amazing, that a close mind is one of the few things that so many civilizations have in common," he said, twirling his quill between his fingers. "They said they were fighting against heresy, but they could have given it any other name… After all, heresy is only another word for freedom of thought."

Yuuko looked at him for a moment, her eyes narrowing slightly; there was something suspicious about the way he had said that. She sat down in front of him and rested her head on her hands. It was time for a long story – if she managed to weasel it out of him.

Except that she changed her mind in the last second. That would be too much work, and she didn't feel like making the effort. Subtlety hadn't worked during the past hour or so, after all. Perhaps being blunt was the best approach.

"Where were you during the sixteenth century?" she asked.

Clow blinked as he looked up, as if the words had awakened him from a trance. He collected himself immediately, though, and tapped her nose with the back of the quill.

"That is none of your business, young lady."

"No, I mean it. I want you to tell me," she insisted. "Because you're really good at saying stupid things that nobody wants to hear, you see. I wonder how you made it alive."

"If you must know," he replied, glaring at her, "yes, I was in Europe back then. Italy, to be precise. But I didn't get in trouble."

"You didn't?" Yuuko asked, with a meaningful look and a sneer to match. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Not _that_ kind of trouble, at least."

"I could have sworn you did," she said, now serious, "what with being foreign and all. Didn't they bother you with that?"

"There were plenty of foreigners in Venice," he replied. "Besides, if anyone asked, I was raised in my father's religion. I could prove it, too."

"Pretty standard answer, that one," she said thoughtfully. He shrugged.

"It worked."

"Oh," she said, somewhat disappointed. Clow must have noticed that, because he raised his eyebrows and put down the quill at long last.

"What?" he asked. "Did you _want_ me to get in trouble? That's not very nice, you know, even coming from you."

"Don't be an idiot about it," she snapped. "You're here, aren't you? I just thought you might have one of those crazy tales of yours, that's all."

For a moment, he didn't reply, and simply looked at her with an unreadable expression. Yuuko was beginning to wonder if she had really offended him, improbable as that was, when he finally spoke again.

"That was a mistake," he said. He was still serious, although she was glad to see that he didn't appear to be upset.

"Obviously," she snorted.

"No, I mean your _other_ mistake." He was beginning to smile, now; she forgot all of her worries in a matter of moments and changed them for new, different ones. That grin couldn't be a good sign. "For all intents and purposes, you've just admitted that you enjoy listening to me talk."

Yuuko paled.

"That's not true!" she exclaimed. "I never said that. Don't think you can start rambling endlessly now –"

"Why not?" he interrupted her, looking triumphant. "You like those 'crazy tales of mine', my dear friend, so much that you even ask about them. This is very useful information indeed."

"… I don't like how that sounds," she muttered.

"Oh, but you _will_ like what comes next. Admit it," he replied, and Yuuko cursed his careful choice of words. "Did I ever tell you about that ball in Vienna? Or perhaps you'd prefer to hear about the time when I nearly blew up a pub in Dublin. No, wait, I know! There was this library…"

She groaned and buried her head in her arms. It was going to be a long, long day.


	17. Pride

**Title:** Pride

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #44. I won't have you hating me.

**Warnings/Ratings:** K

**Synopsis**: Their fights are as great as their magic. Then again, so are their reconciliations.

* * *

**Pride**

They had picked a fight over something stupid again, a detail so minor that Yuuko didn't even remember what it was anymore. She didn't need to, anyway; the context was irrelevant. It was his attitude what drove her mad.

He was far too used to win all the time, too used to be right. His Guardians might argue with him about daily life matters, but when it came to magic and its technicalities, Clow had never met anyone who dared to – and who _could_ – oppose him. Not since he was very young, at least, and it showed.

It wasn't even that Yuuko had wanted to win. What they were doing was too important to put petty quarrels before it. If he was right, he was right. The problem was that he wouldn't _listen_. He wasn't even rude about it, for the first few minutes, until it started to make her angry; _then_ he got worked up too. It simply didn't occur to him that someone else could have a valid opinion.

He was the great Clow Reed, after all. He knew better.

She wanted to slap him, when he behaved like that. Sometimes she did – this time, for instance. It was no wonder that he'd got truly angry himself, then, since it didn't even cross his mind that he had been acting like an idiot in the first place.

He had accused her of being too proud, of not wanting to learn. That had been too much for her. She had shouted at him, called him conceited and full of himself; she'd told him she hated him. By the end of the day, she still believed that she did.

When the moon rose, Yuuko's garden appeared to be covered by magnolias in bloom.

In a way, it annoyed her even more; it was just like him to come up with something so far-fetched instead of talking to her. She showed up at his doorstep, ready to demand explanations. As she had expected, he was waiting for her, with a smile and two bowls of sake.

"Magnolias grow on trees," she said.

"I know," he replied. "Magic does wonders, doesn't it?"

"Why are you doing this?" Yuuko asked, her voice still cold. His expression didn't change.

"I won't have you hating me."

"That hardly sounds like an apology."

"Of course not," said Clow. "One has to regret something to apologise for it."

"You are an arrogant bastard," she told him.

But she kissed him nonetheless.


	18. Tailormade

**Title:** Tailormade

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #2. Step on it!

**Warnings/Ratings:** K

**Synopsis: **Some things take time.

* * *

**Tailormade**

"Is this absolutely necessary?" Yuuko asked, looking up at him.

Between her annoyed expression, her long hair sprawled around her, and the way her legs curved over the sofa's arm, Clow found it very difficult to tell her to move. She looked delightful as she was now, lounging as usual, like a lazy queen. But he resisted temptation. He was, after all, in a bit of a hurry.

"Yes, it is," he told her. "And if you want it to be done before the festival, you should stop wasting time."

"Oh, come on..." she sighed. "There must be an easier way to do this."

"If I used magic, the results wouldn't be the same. Some things are done better by hand."

"You're just old-fashioned," she teased him. Clow didn't give in.

"It will not kill you to get up and stand on a stool for a few minutes," he insisted, pointing at said piece of furniture. "Step on it!"

"Fine, I'll do it," she said, and stood up as if it took a terrible effort to move. "I hope you _really_ do this 'in a few minutes', for your own good. And watch your hands," she added as an afterthought.

He rolled his eyes at her. Would that woman ever take anything seriously? This was business.

"I promise you, my hands will be quite busy with the tape measure," he said. "Now be still or this will take longer."

Yuuko did as she was told, at least for a while. He hadn't taken half the measurements he needed when she started squirming.

"Are you done yet?"

"I'm going to make you a yukata, not a handkerchief," Clow replied. "Be patient."

"I'll pay you more if you finish quickly," she told him, all cheer and playfulness. "Come on, you know you want that booze!"

Clow continued with his work at the same pace, with all the security that long years of experience had given him. He knew perfectly well that it would be pointless to listen to her.

"If I hurry up now, I might make a mistake. That would delay the rest of the process," he explained. "We might even have to do this again, and we don't want that, do we?"

That pretty much settled it. Yuuko didn't move anymore, except when he needed her to do so, and let him take the rest of the measurements in peace. It didn't take that long, once she had stopped interrupting.

"There. I'm done," he said at last, rolling the tape. "It wasn't so terrible, was it?"

"It was the most boring thing I've had to do in my entire life," she muttered. "Promise me it won't happen again."

"Not quite," Clow replied, "but you'll have to try on the yukata before it's finished. Just in case I need to tweak something, that is."

Yuuko's eyes widened in horror.

"_What_? Can't you use Mirror for that?" she exclaimed. "Then I could see how it looks like, too. And I wouldn't have to put up with this again..."

"I thought I remembered you saying that was a selfish and capricious waste of magic," he told her, raising his eyebrows. She moved closer to him and gave him a conspiratorial look.

"It would give your Guardians the fright of their lives."

Clow couldn't hold back a dangerous grin.


	19. Reflection on Still Water

**Title:** Reflection on Still Water

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #14. I am not a monster!

**Warnings/Ratings:** K

**Synopsis: **Doubts about the past, certainties about the future, and a perfect moment near the ponds at Tsukimine Shrine.

**Notes:** This one references a lot of Card Captor Sakura (manga) and a little of Tsubasa.

* * *

**Reflection on Still Water**

The night was warm and fragrant, perfect for a festival. Yuuko exhaled a contented sigh as they walked towards the shrine. She had been looking forward to do something fun at last, after all their work of the last few days. Besides, wearing new clothes always put her in a good mood, and Clow had only finished her yukata the previous afternoon. Now the butterflies on its pattern were dancing around her legs as she walked.

He had made one for himself, too. It was rare to see him dressed so simply. The design was plain, with stripes in different shades of blue, but it suited him. Yuuko caught herself wondering why didn't he wear this kind of clothes more often instead of his usual layers of silk.

"This is the place," he said suddenly, as they reached the entrance of Tsukimine Shrine. "This is it."

If she hadn't known him better, Yuuko would have teased him about stating the obvious. But that look on his eyes was unmistakeable. She could tell that he had seen this before.

"Is that why you wanted to come?" she asked, giving him a sly look. Clow grinned at her.

"You know I always have an ulterior motive."

"Always," she agreed, grinning back at him as they crossed the gate.

It was already crowded. A sea of people filled the shrine with noise and colour, chatting with each other, eating and playing. Yuuko wanted to try everything. She dragged Clow all over the place, making him spend a ridiculous amount of money on games and treats, but he didn't seem to mind. In fact, he even bought extra food to take home.

"I'll never hear the end of it if I don't bring _something_ to Cerberus," he explained. "Preferably something edible."

"You're spoiling him," she pointed out. "Where's your authority? You twist the fate of worlds, and you can't control an oversized kitty?"

"I can tell when you aren't being serious, you know," he said mildly, but smiled nonetheless. "Also, I think I'm spoiling _you_ too much right now. I should choose what to do next, don't you think?"

"What do you have in mind?" she asked.

"Let's go to see the ponds."

He lead the way as if he knew the place already. It was the kind of attitude that make Yuuko wonder, sometimes, exactly how detailed his visions were. He didn't hesitate for a second as he walked through the crowd. Soon enough, they left the other people behind and found themselves alone; the silence was a welcome change. A perfectly calm pond awaited them. There were no carps in it, and the moon was reflected on the still water.

"This is for scrying," Yuuko said, confused, as she looked up at him. "You don't need this."

Clow didn't seem to have heard her.

"She will come here often," he said, his gaze lost over the dark surface.

"The woman of the bell?" she asked, and her voice sounded a little more annoyed than she had intended. Clow turned around and looked at her. Of course, she though, _that_ he noticed. It was unnerving.

"Yes. She is a very beautiful redhead, in fact," he told her teasingly.

"Idiot," Yuuko muttered. He grinned, but didn't say anything else about it.

"So many things will happen in this shrine," he whispered, closing his eyes. "I can feel that child's power everywhere. In here, she will discover her star."

For a moment, she didn't say a word, and simply watched him. He hadn't opened his eyes again. She still found it a little strange to see him like this, the way he got when he started thinking of that girl... He loved her. Both of them cared about those children, of course, about all of them; but what Clow felt for her was somehow deeper. He truly, honestly loved her. And there was a certain weight in Yuuko's heart when she thought that he would never meet her, that she'd never be more than a distant dream for him. She wondered how could he live with that. After all, he had always been too soft for his own good...

Her gaze strayed towards the pond and the reflection of the moon on its surface. Then, perhaps because she had been thinking about her, it was the girl that she saw. Cerberus and Yue were there, with another boy, and that priestess – she _was_ very beautiful, Yuuko realised. The vision lasted only for a moment, but it was enough. She understood.

"She will never truly be at risk, will she?" she said, not quite realizing that she was thinking aloud.. Clow turned around sharply, and he looked horrified at her words.

"I am not a monster!" he said. "Do you think that I would let such a thing happen to her? That I'd be like – like _him_?"

Yuuko didn't reply immediately, taken aback by his reaction. At last she put a hand on his arm, soothing, and shook her head.

"That isn't what I said," she told him. "I know you. I know you're not like that. I just... I've just seen that moment. That's all."

He seemed relieved to hear that, but there was still worry in his eyes. He looked away, frowning.

"She must earn her place on her own, and the Guardians must accept her. But I cannot let her lose the Judgement," he whispered. "The catastrophe is real."

"Why?" she asked him. He chuckled, still without facing her, and it was a bitter sound.

"Because there was a time, long ago," he answered, "when I truly felt that I would live forever. That they would never need anyone else. And that, if something unexpected were to happen, this would be the best for them."

"Clow..."

"I was selfish, when I made them," he continued, without giving her time to go on. "I looked far ahead, but not far enough. But at least I know that they will love her. Far more, I think, than they could ever love _me_. She can truly be their friend, you see, she can make things simple for them... and they will never need to ask themselves why she made them, or if she was thinking only of herself when she did."

"They do love you," Yuuko told him. "Don't ever doubt that."

"I know they do. What I wonder is if they ever had a choice," said Clow. "There were so many things I didn't think of, back then..."

"You were young," she replied.

"I was lonely."

That was something she hadn't expected to hear. It seemed impossible to believe what he had just done – making himself vulnerable, showing weakness. Even if it was one that she had seen in him long ago. To hear him admit it... She wanted to say something, but didn't trust her own words. What _was _there to say? She just held his hand, a simple but much more meaningful gesture. He turned around and smiled softly at her.

"This was supposed to be a happy evening," he said. "I'm sorry."

"Don't be silly," she told him, and kissed him on the cheek. "You just think too much, that's all."

"I do, perhaps. But how does one stop thinking?" he asked, with a tired sigh. Yuuko shook her head at him.

"See, that is why I say you're too complicated," she laughed. "You just _do_. Forget about the things to come, even if it's just for a moment. Don't miss the present, Clow."

"The present goes away so quickly," he told her.

"It doesn't matter," Yuuko said. She smiled at him and took a few strands of hair off his eyes. "We have this now."

"And that is enough..." he said, hesitating. It sounded almost like a question. _Of course not_, she wanted to answer, _I want these days to last forever and ever_. But she was far too reasonable for that.

"It should be," she replied. "Come on, don't you think this is a beautiful night? Are you just going to brood and ruin it?"

"You give me so little credit, Yuuko," he told her, with the hint of a grin starting to show. "The night is far from over yet."

As soon as he had said that, he reached for his Cards and whispered something to Glow. The tiny sprite soared all around them and even beyond the trees, spreading spheres of a greenish light everywhere she went.

"People are going to wonder," Yuuko said, but she didn't really mind. It was such a lovely sight, after all; like fireflies, but even better. The bright dots floated in between the trees' branches, reflected themselves over the ponds...

She turned to Clow to say something, but her words died, forgotten, the moment she saw him. He was smiling, staring at a sphere that hovered a little over his hand. He had that particular look again, the same as always, and even if she had managed to remember what she wanted to tell him he probably wouldn't have heard. Yuuko knew, then, that she could never _really_ keep him in the present; not completely. It had been arrogant to think that she could, she realized – she had known from the beginning, after all, that she was not the one who would grant him his wish. For better or worse, in this life he would remain forever a little distant, one step beyond. It was a fact that not even she could change.

"She always knows how to make people happy," he said softly. In the end, it was he who turned around to look at her, smiling.

It was a perfect moment. So she just stopped thinking, and smiled back.


	20. Sibling Rivalry

**Title:** Sibling Rivalry

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #19. There will be hell to pay.

**Warnings/Ratings:** K

**Synopsis**: The joys of family life...

* * *

**Sibling Rivalry**

Yuuko would never admit it, but she enjoyed watching Clow work. There was something soothing about the way he did things, careful and concentrated, giving so much attention to the smallest details. It was obvious that he liked to make things by hand, instead of simply using magic; but it would be impossible to tell the difference in the final products.

He always had _something_ to do. Either he was baking yet another cake, or sewing a shirt, or making presents for his loved ones. Lately, the Mokonas were the ones occupying most of his time. Yuuko couldn't blame him. It was impossible not to spoil those two.

Now that they had finished lunch, Soel and Larg had joined Yue in his usual nap, finding a comfortable spot next to him on the pillow. Cerberus had teased all three of them mercilessly, but in the end he too had curled up on the same bed.

Without them around, Clow was using the time to continue with his latest project. The Mokonas had mentioned 'playing pretend' not too long ago, and that had given him an idea, which he was determined to keep as a surprise. Since that day, he had been working on a set of costumes for them. Yuuko leaned back on the sofa while she sipped her tea, watching his fingers move swiftly as he sewed the tiny clothes.

"There. What do you think?" he asked, showing her a minute hat that was pretty elaborate for its size. For an old and powerful wizard, Clow certainly had a thing for cuteness.

"It's adorable!" she replied, delighted. "Everything is. They look like dolls' clothes."

"It's interesting that you should make that comparison," he said, with the hint of an amused smile starting to appear on his face. "Cerberus would agree with you, I think."

"What do you mean?"

"Yesterday he asked me if we had any plans to stop playing house."

Yuuko snorted into her teacup.

"Oooh! The big brothers are getting _jealous_!" she exclaimed. Clow raised his eyebrows.

"You find that funny because you don't live with them," he pointed out. "When they want to sulk, they are very good at it."

"They wouldn't if you hadn't spoiled them so much," Yuuko said, still grinning. "It's all your fault, you know."

Clow didn't even try to defend his actions.

"You would have spoiled them too," was his only answer. Then he stood up and put all the little costumes into a wooden box.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"I'd better hide this before they wake up. And I should make some pudding, too," he said. "If Cerberus finds out that I've been working for them and not for _him_, there will be hell to pay."

"And what about Yue?"

"Yue is sane," Clow replied. "Mostly."

"Anything _you_ make," Yuuko said, "is bound to have some insanity attached."

"Why, thank you!" he laughed, and he bowed.


	21. Irony

**Title:** Irony

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase: **#12. It's part of the thrill.

**Warnings/Ratings:** K+

**Synopsis:** The thing about legendary loves is that they rarely end well.

**Notes:** Arthurian references abound, and Clow quotes Tennyson's _Merlin and Vivian_.

* * *

**Iron****y**

The light in his study was beginning to dim, but Clow didn't interrupt his work. There were some ideas that he wanted to put into writing. He had learned to recognize those moments long ago; those particular times when he had to take note of a certain spark or lose it forever.

He scribbled quickly, mixing languages, without paying attention to keeping it tidy or even correct – he'd have time to make a proper copy later. The only thing that mattered now was to get what was in his mind onto the paper. Until he had managed to do that, the world around him was forgotten.

Only when he put down his quill did he notice there were some strands of long, black hair dangling over the page. And they weren't his.

"Do you always need to read over my shoulder?"

"Well, it's a spell I'd never seen before," Yuuko defended herself. "I was interested."

"Ah, yes, so keen on learning from me as usual. _Fancying that her glory would be great, according to his greatness whom she quenched_," he quoted. "Sometimes you worry me, my dear Vivian."

Her face darkened when she heard that. She turned to look at him with piercing eyes.

"I don't think that is something to joke about," she said slowly.

There were many ways to reply to that, Clow reflected. He could tell her that she had a dangerous beauty. That she would be the last woman he ever loved. That, although she wasn't quite as powerful as he, she could easily have him at her mercy if she felt like it.

Somehow he didn't think she'd appreciate any of it.

"It's all right. I know what kind of evil sorceress I'm dealing with," he said instead. "And, more importantly, I know how it's all going to end."

"That is even less funny," she told him, frowning. "Why do you have to be so morbid?"

He blinked, startled. She seemed to be taking this quite seriously for some reason.

"I didn't mean to upset you," he assured her. "It's just... well, there comes a time when one must take life – and death – with a bit of humour."

"If you don't change the subject soon, you _will_ make me want to kill you," she warned him. He grinned at her.

"It's part of the thrill."

"Idiot," Yuuko muttered, and left the room slamming the door behind her.

Clow shook his head, sighing. He still didn't understand why she had to get so sentimental about it. It was inevitable, after all; she knew that as well as he did.

Perhaps he should go after her and offer her something to drink. That always put her in a better mood. He went to open the door – and immediately gave up, chuckling. So much for not joking about it.

She had just locked him in.


	22. Details

**Title:** Details

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #47. God, I love you!

**Warnings/Ratings:** K+

**Synopsis: **Yuuko knows Clow better than anyone.

* * *

**Details**

Sake makes him thoughtful. It's a very annoying side effect, because Yuuko doesn't want to think at all when she's drinking, but Clow's melancholy is contagious. Just by looking at him, she can feel the weight of years and years.

She doesn't fully pay attention to what he's talking about, but she knows it's sad. It's always sad after an hour or two; it's always a bad sign when he starts speaking so much that he forgets about the cup in his hands.

Yuuko chooses to focus on something other than his words. She's still sober enough to notice the threads of magic that surround him, those barriers that he put up who knows how long ago and that never go away. Not when he's asleep, not when he's drunk, not even when he's in a trance. If it tires him to keep them working, he never shows it.

It's easy to understand why he needs them. There are too many people trying to find him. His own power is so great that it drowns all other presences, but Yuuko can sense them if she looks for them: discordant waves that feel different from his, some stronger than others, trying in vain to break the spells that protect him.

Sometimes she tries to read the threads and figure out the reasons behind those intrusions. They come from rivals and enemies. They come from colleagues or relatives who wonder where has he disappeared to this time. They come from people that, willingly or not, he has upset.

There is someone in Hong Kong (a woman, she thinks) whose water-based magic is constantly reaching towards the edges of his barriers. But he doesn't talk about that and she doesn't ask.

She has no reasons for jealousy; they haven't made any promises, anyway. Yuuko knows that she can't claim him as her own. She also knows that nobody can. He has lived too long, grown too much.

Now he's babbling some nonsense about the seasons and falling leaves. She has heard it before, and she still doesn't like it. Suddenly he trails off and his words end with a tired sigh. He turns around to smile softly at her. Yuuko smiles back as the most powerful sorcerer in the entire world rests his head on her lap.

This, she thinks, is something that belongs to her alone. She doesn't care about his past or about those who came before her. He might have been with many other people; he might even have loved them. But she has one thing that nobody else had or ever will.

He _trusts_ her. It's the first time in his long, long life that it is meaningful, that it truly makes him vulnerable. She is not as powerful as he is, but she is strong enough to pose a threat. She could destroy him, if he took too many risks – and he has.

There are more barriers around him than the ones made of spells, and he has taken them down for her. He has forgotten about his fear of loss and his insecurities – it had been such an incredible thought, at first, discovering that even Clow Reed has insecurities – to show her a side of him that few are allowed to see. It's not arrogance or foolishness; only trust. And it makes her proud.

After all, who else knows him as well as she does? Yuuko has many things that no one else does, plenty of small treasures that belong only to her.

She knows that Clow is not pretending when he smiles like that, in spite of what other sorcerers seem to believe; that his gentle nature is real (and it's a blessing for the world, she thinks, that someone so powerful is also so kind). She has learnt to tell when he's being serious and when he's just telling a very elaborate joke. She has seen his eyes shine in delight at a new idea or a pretty sky or a particularly unhealthy dessert.

She knows that he hums to himself when he's working. That he rolls around and mumbles in Chinese in his sleep, and has far too many nightmares. That his ticklish feet are his greatest weakness after his terrible eyesight.

She knows that he likes cats and sakura trees and the colour black. She knows that he likes it when she twists his hair around her fingers, just like _this_ –

"God, I love you," he whispers, half asleep and entirely drunk, and Yuuko adds those words to her list.


	23. Emergency Measures

**Title:** Emergency Measures

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #31. Now is the time to be strong.

**Warnings/Ratings:** K+

**Synopsis: **A quiet night goes wrong.

* * *

**Emergency Measures**

Clow leaned back on his side of the sofa, exhaling a contented sigh. Nights were always pleasant when he had good company and a bottle of sake – or several, if Yuuko was the company in question. They had spent the last few hours drinking and talking; they had discussed philosophy, metaphysics, and those amusing little oddities that would someday be called "pop culture". Right now, the world was perfect. He knew he would change his mind as soon as he tried to stand up, but he had no intention of moving in quite a while.

Oddly enough, Yuuko did get on her feet. She staggered a little, and looked slightly greenish; however, she soon regained her composure, or at least as much as necessary to walk in a straight line.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"To get more sake. The bottle's empty."

That should remind him of something, Clow thought. Then he blinked and sat up, much faster than he should have, in fact.

"Oh dear," he said. "I knew I was forgetting something..."

But it was too late. Yuuko had already opened her liquor cabinet.

"Well," she said, with a calm that never meant anything good. "That was the last one."

"Um..."

"That was the _last_ one," she repeated, and then she turned around. Her eyes could have burned a hole in the wall. "_Why didn't you warn me_?"

"I've just told you," he defended himself. "I forgot."

"You can't just forget about it, you're a Seer. What, it gets impaired by sake?" Yuuko asked, without bothering to conceal the sarcasm.

"Well, why do you think I drink in the first place?" Clow answered. As soon as he said that, he realized what she was implying. "Oh. Oh, no. You don't think – you don't think I did it _on purpose_, do you?"

"You don't exactly have the cleanest of records," she pointed out. He pushed his glasses up his nose, looking offended.

"Say what you will about my sense of humour, but I'm not stupid enough to willingly get myself into a house with you and no alcohol."

Yuuko glared at him. That hadn't been the right thing to say, it seemed. She put her hands on her hips, looking very much like the angry and powerful witch that she was.

"You are going to pay for this, Clow Reed," she said.

"Now, dear," he replied, in his best attempt to be the voice of reason, "let's remain calm, shall we? This is not a good moment to fight against each other. Now is the time to be strong -"

"Now," she interrupted, "is the time to get another bottle."

"What? It's impossible to buy anything at this hour."

"I never mentioned _buying_, did I?" Yuuko told him in a sing-song voice. "When have you ever ran out of liquor?"

"That is hardly fair," Clow protested, frowning. But she didn't give in.

"You get me something to drink right now, or you will face my wrath," she warned him, as she tried – and failed – to point her finger at him.

"Fine," he sighed. He conjured a bottle and looked at it sadly before he opened it; it was rather expensive. "Happy?"

"For the moment."

"That will do," he said, and hoped she'd fall asleep before she could ask for more.


	24. Layers

**Title:** Layers

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #38. "Only the shallow know themselves." - Oscar Wilde

**Warnings/Ratings:** K+

**Synopsis: **Nobody knows themselves completely. Not even Clow Reed.

**Notes:**_Scarborough Fair_ really is very, very old. The fragment of lyrics that I mention here has been around since the nineteenth century.

* * *

**Layers**

Yuuko swallowed the bitter medicine with a grimace. It tasted horrible, but she couldn't complain; it worked, after all, and it was fast. She knew that her headache would disappear in only a couple of minutes.

"Why aren't _you_ ever hungover?" she muttered, sprawled on her sofa, while Clow sat down on an armchair in front of her. He gave her a look that was between sympathetic and amused.

"Because I know my own limitations," he said. "Some people, believe it or not, actually _stop drinking_ before it's too late."

"That's stupid," she said.

"Not at all," Clow told her. "If you had ever bothered to pay attention, you should have figured out how to avoid this by now."

"Well, not everyone's had a million years to practice the right timing," she replied. She was already feeling more lucid again, and discovered that she was in the mood for arguing.

"Yuuko, dear," he said, shaking his head in amusement, "you should try to know yourself better."

"Oh, please," she snorted. Yes, she was definitely up for debate this time. "Only the shallow know themselves. Us interesting people have layers and layers and _layers_. You can keep discovering new things everyday, it's fun."

Clow raised his eyebrows, smiling. It was the kind of smile that he had when he was absolutely certain of being right. Yuuko wondered if he knew that much; then she decided not to tell him.

"Are you saying," he asked, "that you can surprise yourself?"

"What, haven't you ever heard that expression?" she asked back at him. "It's possible. You try something new and discover if you like it or not, if you are good or bad at it. Sometimes you can guess – for example, _I_ know that I will like anything that has alcohol in it. Obviously. I know that much about myself," she said. "But if someone paid me with, say, a dessert from a different world that isn't similar to anything I know, then I'd just have to try. Find out what happens."

"You are talking about food and drink," he pointed out, as if she didn't know what she was saying. Yuuko let out an exasperated sigh.

"I am using a simple example," she said. "Use your imagination a little. Say you're in the middle of an emergency, for example. You're stuck in a typhoon, or something, and you'd never been in one before. Then you wouldn't know how you would react, not until you lived through it."

"Yes, I would," Clow replied. "I would know exactly how I'd react. I would use Shield first of all, and then Windy, or perhaps Watery, depending on the typhoon's strength. Which I would _also_ know. Because I would have seen it coming."

For once, he didn't sound smug, or as if he was just trying to win the argument. He was merely stating a fact. Yuuko gave him a long look before she spoke again.

"You really don't get it, do you?" she said at last. But she didn't say it because she was annoyed, and certainly not because she was amused. It was actually kind of sad.

She didn't tell him _that_, either. Although, judging from his little smile, he already knew.

"All right," she said, sitting up. She had suddenly got an idea. "I know how to prove I'm right. I can tell you things about _you_ that you're not aware of."

"Do try," Clow replied, leaning back onto his armchair. Now he _was _looking smug, the idiot.

"Thing number one," Yuuko said. "You hum, and sometimes even sing, to yourself when you're cooking."

"Is that the best you can do?" he asked. "Of course I knew that already – "

"Thing number two," she interrupted. "It's always Scarborough Fair."

He frowned, staring at her in disbelief. That was exactly the reaction she had expected from him.

"You are making that up," he said. Yuuko grinned at him triumphantly.

"No, I mean it. _Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme_!" she exclaimed, laughing. "Perfect cooking song, you know. And you never even realize that you're singing it."

"That is completely ridiculous," he muttered.

"Oh, it definitely is. It's also true. Ask your Guardians."

"Yuuko, _honestly_..."

"Thing number three," she continued, counting on her fingers. "Soel and Larg steal the sweets from that little bowl on your desk when you're writing, because you're too focused on your work to notice."

"But I _do_ know that they do it," Clow insisted. "That's why I leave all those extra ones."

"You still don't understand," said Yuuko. "Of course you know, because you've Seen it, but you never actually catch them in the act. Those are different things. They put up all this stealthy show right in front of your nose and you're too distracted to see them."

Clow still didn't seem convinced. For a few moments, he remained silent, which was always a treat. It wasn't often that she managed to leave him without words, and much less looking as thoughtful as he did right now.

"Perhaps you're right," he said in the end, and Yuuko felt like she could have danced in triumph if she didn't still have such a headache. "But still," he added, making her roll her eyes again, "all those things you mentioned are just details and quirks. They're not important to my knowledge of myself as a person."

Yuuko sighed. Was it so difficult to grasp?

"Look, there's something that you aren't quite getting here," she told him. "My point is that there _is_ at least one layer to you that you didn't know about."

"And that would be?" he asked.

"Foresighted or not, you're still hopelessly oblivious."

Again, he didn't reply immediately. Yuuko grinned to herself. Twice in the same argument? That had to be a new record.

"Am I, really?" he asked after a moment, still frowning a bit. She couldn't help but laugh at his expression, which made him look even more embarrassed.

"Of course you are," she told him. "Oh, don't give me that look! It's not that bad, you know. It tones down the creepiness."

And it was actually quite endearing, too; not that she would ever say that aloud. But now it was Clow who rolled his eyes.

"Will you ever stop calling me 'creepy'?"

"Not in the foreseeable future," Yuuko replied with a grin. He raised his eyebrows.

"In our case," he said, "that would be _not ever_."

"Exactly my point."


	25. The Limit

**Title:** The Limit

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #48. No one is that cruel.

**Warnings/Ratings:** PG

**Synopsis: **Clow has a disturbing vision.

**Notes:** This one has SPOILERS for **chapter 120 of Tsubasa (volume 16)**. Also, I'm taking a few wild guesses with this fic, so canon might tear it apart any moment now (but the plot bunny just _wouldn't let go_). Anything that you don't recognize is pure speculation.

* * *

**The Limit**

She found him sitting on the veranda, with a lost look and a bowl of sakehttp/ Simple Mode that lay forgotten in his hands. As soon as she saw him, she realized that he was just coming out of a trance: his expression was unmistakeable, so distant, and this time so sad. Yuuko sat next to him and didn't say a word. All she could do was wait for him, when he was like that.

The moments passed by slowly. Clow didn't move, or change his expression. In the end, he looked up and sighed.

"He is going to kill her," he said, in a barely audible voice. "That girl that he made. He will destroy her."

Yuuko didn't answer. He was still putting his ideas in order, she could tell that much. It was always difficult. And it would be even worse today, if the vision had been so upsetting to him...

"I don't know why," he continued, frowning.

"Perhaps it is better that way," she told him. "That you don't know," she explained when she saw his confused look.

Clow nodded, and stared into his sake.

"Perhaps," he agreed. There was a long pause, and then he spoke again, frowning.

"He _made_ her," he repeated, as if he was still in disbelief, as if he couldn't quite remember who he was talking about.

"He is evil," Yuuko said slowly, "and we both knew that already."

"But... his own creation," he insisted. "His _child_."

"You knew these things happened, Clow," she told him. "You knew that not everyone sees their creations in the same way as you and I do."

"I know," he admitted, and he nodded once more. "I've known for a long time. Yet do you know what I thought," he added, "the first time I heard of something like that?"

"What?"

"No one is that cruel."

He seemed to remember his sake at last, and took a long, slow sip. Yuuko shook his head at him, smiling a little.

"You would think that," she sighed. He turned to look at her, his expression unreadable.

"Wouldn't you?" he asked her.

"I know people better than you, I think," Yuuko replied. Clow couldn't hold back a smile of his own, but it was small and sad and she didn't like it at all.

"I guess so," he said. "Yes, I suppose you do."

For the next few minutes, they simply sat there in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts. There wasn't much that any of them could say, after all. Clow slowly finished his sake, staring into the distance while Yuuko stared at him. He didn't seem to mind, or even notice. In the end, he stood up with a sigh and crossed the veranda to take the bowl inside. He stopped right next to the entrance, however, and he spoke without turning to look at her.

"She has a heart," he whispered, and then he disappeared into the house.


	26. Weather Talk

**Title:** Weather Talk

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #28. Stupid should hurt.

**Warnings/Ratings:** K

**Synopsis: ** Sometimes Clow forgets that there's a whole world outside of his house.

* * *

**Weather Talk**

They had agreed to work at Clow's house that day. There were several books that they needed to check before they went on with their plans, so they were going to spend quite some time searching through his library. Yuuko usually preferred to stay at _her_ place, without the Guardians and Cards interrupting them; he would leave anything he was doing just because they pulled a face at him. It didn't surprise her that they were all so spoiled. But this time there was no choice. Their project couldn't advance without that knowledge.

The first thing that she noticed when she arrived was the sunshine. The sky above the house was bright blue, and the warmth of the air felt just perfect on her face. Too perfect. Especially considering that it was still pouring on the other side of the gate.

"What have you done now?" she asked when Clow approached her, even before he had time to greet her. He blinked, as if he had no idea of what she was talking about.

"What do you mean?" he said.

"I mean _this_," Yuuko explained, pointing to the sky with her red and black umbrella. "Why is it sunny?"

"Because I like it?" he replied. He was a good actor, but this time his confusion seemed to be real. Obviously, he still didn't get it.

"You can't just go and change the weather like that!" she told him.

"Of course I can," he said, raising his eyebrows. "You could, too, if you put your mind on it."

Yuuko covered her face with her hand and sighed.

"Are you being dense on purpose?" she asked. "You know what I mean. You're not _supposed to_."

"Oh, it's not that terrible," Clow defended himself. "It's only here in the garden. And there is a spell around the grounds so people can't tell the difference when they're looking from outside. There is nothing to worry about."

"That's not the point," she insisted. "You shouldn't play around with the weather just because you feel like it. It's other people's area."

"I did tell you that it's just over my own house," he pointed out. "That doesn't bother anyone. Besides, it's been raining for days now. I was bored."

"No wonder she doesn't like you," Yuuko muttered. He could be such an insufferable man sometimes! He always wanted to be right, and perhaps that was why he finally looked concerned when she said that.

"Who are you talking about?" he asked with a frown.

"Ame Warashi, of course," she answered. "I thought it was because of the sun thing with your powers, but apparently she has better reasons."

"She can't be angry because of what I do in my own home!"

"Oh, trust me, yes she can," she said. "And do you know what she would do to you if she found you?"

"What?" said Clow, unable to hide a smirk.

Yuuko hit him over the head with the umbrella.

"That hurt!" he complained, rubbing his head with the back of his hand.

"Well, you deserve it for being stupid. Stupid _should_ hurt," she told him. "And that's what she would do, anyway."

"This is ridiculous. I'm not letting my plants get too much water just because you say so," he said. She rolled her eyes at him.

"Fine. Do whatever you want. But don't go complaining to _my_ house when she comes after you."

"Just get inside," he sighed.

They entered the house at last, and it looked as if he was making a great effort not to slam the door behind them. Just as Clow was sitting at his desk, the raindrops started beating on the windows. Yuuko gave him a little kiss on top of his head.

And then she smirked at him, just to balance it out.


	27. Energy

**Title:** Energy

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #11. You could get us both killed!

**Warnings/Ratings:** K+

**Synopsis: ** Sometimes it's not lack of power what makes spells fail.

* * *

**Energy**

It all happened very fast. The spell was almost over – a last rehearsal, the only chance to make a mistake before they created those beings – and magic was all around them. Sheer power flowed from their bodies, out of their fingers, filling the space in the empty room. The light of their magic circles intertwined and formed new and complex shapes. It was a tense atmosphere. Each one of them knew that the slightest error would be dangerous.

Then one of the threads of magic overflowed and broke.

Clow fell backwards and hit the floor, a wave of his own power throwing him across the room. The spell collapsed; the lines of magic disappeared.

"_What_ did you do?" Yuuko shouted at him, getting up from the other side of the room. He tried to sit up himself and found he could barely do it. All of his body was aching.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, adjusting his glasses. "I didn't mean to..."

"You could get us both killed!"

"It was an accident," Clow said. She stared at him in disbelief.

"That's impossible," she said at last.

"It was an accident," he repeated. "I couldn't control it. It just – flowed out."

He stared at his hands, dazed. Even after what had just happened, he could feel the power trying to escape. It was slowly, ver slowly, waning away. But he still felt strong in magic.

_Charged_.

"It's too much," he whispered, and he slumped against the wall.

Yuuko knelt down and took his hands in hers. He almost wanted to pull them away, but her concentrated expression reminded him that she knew what she was doing. With a slow, careful movement, she traced the back of his hands, his long fingers. The magic impulses flowed through his nerves as she guided them, and at last they escaped from the tips of his fingers when she let go.

The gold and silver butterfly that appeared in the cup of her hands flew out of the window.

"Thank you," he said.

"I'm sorry I shouted at you," said Yuuko. Then she just stood up and walked away.

"It won't happen when we make them," he assured her. "I can promise you that."

"I know," she said, stopping on her way out of the room. "I have seen it, too."

"We should try again," Clow said, "just in case. But not today."

"Not today," Yuuko agreed. She turned around and gave him a small, playful smile. "Today we must do something about that energy of yours."


	28. The Battle of the Living Snow

**Title:** The Battle of the Living Snow

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #15. You will never hit me!

**Warnings/Ratings:** K

**Synopsis: **A lot of mages manage not to grow old, but Clow and Yuuko belong to the select few who never really _grows up_...

**Notes:** There are references to something that happens in HOLiC 96, although I wouldn't really call it a spoiler. As for the CCS side of the fic: I usually stick to the manga canon, but I had to make an exception this time and go for the anime Cards. The plot bunny was too strong. :P

* * *

**The Battle of the Living Snow**

With a careful movement, Clow placed the cake on the counter and gave it one last, satisfied look. It still had to cool down a bit, but that wouldn't take long on a day like this. The snow was so beautiful that all the others were out in the garden; he could hear their voices even from the kitchen. It certainly sounded like they were having fun. Perhaps it was time to join them.

He hadn't even closed the door when Soel and Larg bounced right at him.

"Yuuko helped us make a snowman!"

"Look! Look!"

She was pointing triumphantly at a giant, rather amorphous mass of snow. Cerberus was grinnig too, but Yue didn't seem to appreciate its so-called beauty.

"It's their very first snowman," Yuuko pointed out, now holding Larg against her cheek.

"That's wonderful," said Clow, who couldn't hide his amusement. "Is it your first, too?"

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" she asked, in a tone of voice that it usually took longer to get from her. He was getting good at this, he thought.

"Well, the head is a little skewed," he replied, examining it closely. "And the right arm is shorter than the left one."

"You're such a boring perfectionist, did you know that?" his Sun Guardian huffed, rolling his eyes. Clow turned to him with a smile.

"Oh, I'm sure you would have loved to have a skewed head, Cerberus."

The lion opened his mouth, closed it again, and tried to look as if Yue's smirk didn't bother him. But the Moon Guardian's smug look didn't last for more than a few seconds. Alerted by a sudden premonition, Clow ducked – and the snowball that Yuuko had aimed at the back of his head went straight to Yue's face.

"_What_ – ?"

"I'm sorry," the wizard said as he helped him wipe the snow off his hair; but at the same time he was laughing almost as hard as Cerberus. "Reflex, you know."

Then the second snowball _did_ hit its target. Clow turned around with a dangerous spark in his eyes. Yuuko smirked at him, already preparing her next projectile.

"Rule number one," she said. "Never stop looking at your opponent."

"Ah, so you want a duel," he replied, pushing up his glasses. "Very well, then. May the best man win."

"I hate that phrase."

"I know," Clow said, and knocked her pom-pom hat off her head. Yuuko's grin became almost frightening.

"They are worse than children," Yue sighed, shaking his head, while the two greatest mages in the world chased each other around the garden.

"You just don't know how to have fun," said Cerberus, who now had a mischievous look of his own. Before he could do anything, however, he was showered with a good share of snowballs himself.

"Surprise attack!" the Mokonas cheered in unison.

"Oh, you don't know who you're messing with!" the lion laughed.

He pushed the snow with his strong front paws, as easily as if he was splashing the others with water. Then he turned around and directed the next shot at his brother. Against everything he had expected, Yue smiled.

"This means war, Cerberus."

"Ha! You will never hit me!"

Yue _had_ hit him – many times, in fact – when they felt a sudden rush of magic. Sure enough, Clow was already cheating; now Snow was helping her Master. The only surprising part of it was that Yuuko didn't seem to be angry.

"Not so fast, mister! I have friends too!" she said. There was a strange rumbling sound, and the enormous creature that she had built earlier slowly left its original place. "Looks like someone _did_ like my skewed snowman!"

By this point, everybody else was just watching. Soel and Larg clapped and cheered, but it wasn 't too clear on whose side they were. It was quite an impressive show.

"You know," Cerberus said, with a thoughtful look, "if all of this is just for fun, then I don't want to see them _fighting_."

"For once, I'll have to agree," Yue admitted. They were taking things way too far.

Clow was also using Jump now. He avoided many of Yuuko's snowballs that way, but it wasn't the only advantage it gave him: with just a couple of moves, he reached a strategic place on the leafless sakura tree. From there it was easy to throw a well-aimed ball that beheaded the snowman.

"I believe we have a winner," he said, grinning. Yuuko rolled her eyes at him.

"Show-off," she muttered.

"Well, perhaps it would have been a little more difficult if its head hadn't been misplaced - "

Before he could finish that sentence, he found himself lying on the floor, with heavy paws on his chest and a toothy grin just above his face.

"You are supposed to be on my side, Cerberus," he pointed out, poking the Guardian's snout.

"Yeah, well. You _were_ showing off," said the lion. "And I win."

"All right, all right," Clow laughed. "Come on, let's go inside. There's cake and hot chocolate for everyone."

"And Cerberus will get an extra slice!" Yuuko exclaimed, petting his head. The wizard smiled at them.

"Of course," he said, "because he is the winner."

"No, you old fool," she laughed. "Because he made you lose."

"Now, that's mature."

"Look who's talking!"

"Are you going to start again?" Yue asked, raising his eyebrows. Clow and Yuuko looked at each other for a moment.

"Well..."

"... maybe?"

"Oh, let's get in the house. You can fight after we eat the cake," Cerberus said. The Mokonas nodded in agreement.

"Cerberus decides! He's the winner!"

Clow turned to Yuuko and smiled.

"I suppose we can have a second round before dinner," he said, offering his arm. She took it and grinned back at him.

"You'll never know what hit you."


	29. Tea Without Brandy

**Title:** Tea Without Brandy

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #46. "You never understood me. You never really tried." "The Big Sky"--Kate Bush

**Warnings/Ratings:** K

**Synopsis: **Everything will be all right in the end... but you still have to deal with what happens in the meantime.

* * *

**Tea Without Brandy**

Yuuko opened her eyes slowly and painfully. She hadn't felt like this in a very long time, long enough to forget how bad it was. She considered herself lucky, because it didn't happen to her often; but that also meant it usually took her by surprise. And visions were far worse than hangovers.

At last she became aware of her surroundings – she was lying on her sofa – and tried to move. She groaned as she managed to sit up, already regretting it.

"Ah, you're awake," she heard Clow say. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor, with his back to the sofa, but had turned around as he heard her. "How do you feel?"

"As if my head was going to explode," she muttered. He gave her a sympathetic look.

"It was a rather nasty one, yes," he said. "Here, I've made you a cup of tea."

"I don't need you to take care of me, you know," she told him. She hadn't meant to sound so rude, but these things always put her in a bad mood. Clow's expression was unreadable.

"I know," he replied, "and I never implied that. But you always take care of me when I have a bad trance. Call it payment, if you want."

"What would _you_ call it?"

"Friendship," he said simply. He looked so ridiculously honest that Yuuko didn't have the heart to make fun of him this time.

"Oh, give me that," she sighed.

Clow smiled and handed her the still smoking cup. As she had expected, it was _just_ tea; he hadn't added anything stronger. She longed for some brandy, but she knew too well what his answer would be. _It will only make your headache stronger, Yuuko dear_. That fool of a wizard... But she didn't have the strength to argue, not yet.

Instead, she sipped her tea in silence, watching the shadows play across the room. It was getting dark. She could tell that it was almost dusk already.

"I must have slept for hours," she said.

"Only a couple. It could have been worse," Clow replied. She stared at him for a moment, thoughtful.

"What have you been doing all this time?" she asked him. She doubted he'd just sat there all along, especially because he knew more or less when would she wake up.

"Cooking," he told her. "I've invited myself for dinner, in fact."

"You're the one who did the work," she said, shrugging.

For several minutes, neither of them said anything. Clow rested his back against the sofa once more and let her take her time to recover. Although Yuuko appreciated the fact that he wasn't asking her questions, she almost wished he did. She needed to talk to him about it. She needed to talk to _someone_.

"He was doing something stupid again," she said at last.

"He is a good child," he replied, smiling a little.

"Yes," she agreed. "And he's also stupid. He cannot help everyone, Clow, you know that as well as I do."

"But we must give him the chance to find that out for himself," he pointed out. He turned to face her, with a warm look in his eyes. "He will be all right, Yuuko. We will make sure of that."

It was easy for him to say that, she thought. He wasn't the one who would take care of him. He wasn't the one who would watch him barely escape death, who would tend to his wounds, who would see his heart break every time he didn't work a miracle. But she didn't voice all those fears.

"We can make sure of anything we want, but in the end it still depends on him," was all she said.

"Even more, then," he said, "he needs to make those mistakes before he learns."

"_If_ he does," she muttered. "There are people who never learn at all."

Clow smiled at her. He had obviously got the hint, but he didn't seem upset.

"I am an old man," he told her. "I'm allowed to have my pointless hopes. They don't hurt anyone."

_Just you,_ she almost replied; another thought that never left her mind.

"I don't understand you sometimes," she sighed.

"You never understood me," he said softly. "You never really tried."

"Because your brain is a frightening place," she teased him, and that made him laugh again.

"That I can't deny," he admitted.

Then Yuuko took the chance to change the subject, and ordered him to bring her dinner, and for the rest of that evening they didn't think of the future.


	30. Celebration

**Title:** Celebration

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #36 – "Bad taste is better than no taste." - Arnold Bennett

**Warnings/Ratings:** G

**Synopsis: **Christmas is for the family.

* * *

**Celebration**

The house was even messier than usual. Over the years, Clow had gathered quite a lot of Christmas traditions from different places and times. Yuuko was sure that his unique way of spending that day would look strange in the Western world, too, even without taking the magical creatures into account.

"Shouldn't you be in England with your family?" she asked, while he helped Soel and Larg reach the highest branches of the pine they were decorating.

"The Reeds' idea of a celebration involves fighting with each other until everyone is much too drunk to have the energy for that, and then spend the rest of the evening talking about dead relatives. Sometimes with the ghosts in question sitting right next to them," he replied. "Besides, our concepts of 'family' aren't really the same."

Although he didn't say it aloud, Yuuko understood the true meaning of those words: his Guardians were allowed to be there as a mere curiosity, and the Cards didn't count as people. It was no wonder he would rather stay in Japan. Clow didn't mind being regarded as an eccentric, or having people talk behind his back. Most of the time, he even enjoyed causing a scandal or two. But he drew the line at letting others hurt his loved ones, and his relatives consistently failed to understand that the Cards _were_ his loved ones, whether the rest of the world liked it or not.

This wasn't the right time to get all philosophical about those things, however.

"That's distasteful," was all she said.

"A little worse, I think," Clow told her. "Bad taste is better than _no_ taste, after all, and I'm afraid too many of my relatives belong in the second category."

"And you just happen to be the black sheep in the family."

"Certainly."

"Always so modest," Yuuko teased him. "I'm not so sure that _you_ have good taste, you know."

"Of course he does!" an offended voice interrupted them. "Just look at _me_!"

"Nobody asked for your opinion, Cerberus," she said, poking him on the head. "And don't sneak up on people like that. It's creepy."

"Learned from the best," he replied, and grinned. Clow just grinned back at him.

"He's right, you know," he told Yuuko. "He _is_ rather handsome."

The Mokonas finished decorating the tree and slid down its branches, landing on Yuuko's arms. They both looked very confused.

"But when Cerberus says that Clow has good taste," Soel pointed out, "he means that Cerberus is good looking."

"And when Clow says that Cerberus is handsome," added Larg, "he means that Clow did a good job."

"That's because they're crazy egomaniacs," she explained.

She was going to add something else when Yue entered the room, carrying even more ornaments. It was obvious that he'd heard her, and Yuuko almost expected to hear a reprimand from the overly protective Moon Guardian. That was why his agreement was unexpected.

"Yes," he said fondly, "they get like that sometimes."

"In Yue-speak, that means he loves us," Cerberus intervened, always eager to embarrass his brother in public. Yue frowned at him.

"I never said I didn't," he muttered.

"Don't tease him," Clow chided his Sun Guardian. "He's been working hard all day long. Everyone has."

That much was true, Yuuko had to admit. And when he said _everyone_, he meant it. Glow was now giving the final touches to the tree. With some help from Illusion, Wood had filled every corner of the house with branches of pine and holly. Flower still twirled around the room, helping decorate in her own way. Her contribution had nothing to do with the season, but Clow didn't have the heart to stop her when she was having so much fun, and he let her take the Mokonas dancing on her way.

"This place is a mess," Yuuko sighed, as she tried to disentangle a lily from her hair.

"I know," he replied, smiling warmly. "They don't have this in England."

She couldn't hold back a grin.

"You're such a softy inside," she said, pinching his cheeks, and for once he didn't try to argue.


	31. Minute Waltz

**Title:** Minute Waltz

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #30. I can't live without my passion.

**Warnings/Ratings:** K+

**Synopsis: **Clow, Yuuko, Chopin and Paris.

**Notes:** This is the translation of a Spanish fic (_Vals del Minuto_) that you can find in my profile page.

* * *

**Minute Waltz**

Every time Yuuko convinced herself that Clow couldn't come up with a crazier idea, he managed to outdo himself. His latest whim had been showing up all of a sudden at her house several hours after midnight, wearing a tailcoat and carrying a lavender dress that he'd just finished making. He also had that ridiculous little smile that never predicted any good. Yuuko was still up, because she had felt that something odd was going to happen, but she hadn't imagined _that_. What she heard then was even more unexpected.

"Let's go to Paris."

She put down her glass of beer on the veranda and stared at him.

"Now?" she asked after a few seconds.

"My dear Yuuko, you must hear Chopin play," he replied. "He is a true genius. And you know I don't use that word lightly."

"_Now_?" she repeated. Clow laughed, but at last he deigned to give her a good reason.

"Yes, it has to be at this precise moment," he told her. "This might be our last chance. The poor fellow doesn't have much time left."

"I hate it when you do that. It's creepy."

"You are so prejudiced," he sighed, pretending to be offended. "This time it's not 'that'; it's public knowledge. He fell ill a few years ago. Soon he will stop giving concerts, and then I'll never forgive you for not coming with me."

Yuuko grimaced. Truth be told, she didn't have many options. The most probable outcome, as much as she hated to admit it, was that he'd turn out to be right and it would be worth making the effort of going. However (and this was even harder to admit), what really convinced her was that Clow had taken the time to surprise her. In their case, that was saying a lot. He had to make sure that she wouldn't foresee what he was going to do, or else she would have noticed something as out of place as a tailcoat at those hours.

The first few times that he'd done something like that, she had thought it very annoying. What gave him the right to mess with her powers, after all? She had to know him better to realize that he would never look at it that way. He only did what he would have liked others to do for him, if they had been able to. Yuuko didn't have enough magic to give Clow Reed something unexpected, and the least she could do was let him surprise her once in a while.

At last she extended her arm, with a resigned expression and without looking at him in the eye.

"All right," she said. "Give me that dress."

Clow gave her an angelic smile.

**o O o**

The night was perfect for two different reasons: because Clow had been right after all, and because Yuuko didn't need to admit it. He wouldn't have given her time to do so. He was so immersed in his monologues that he hadn't even tried to show his superiority. Chopin must have really been a genius to manage that. Although perhaps the city itself had some kind of effect on him. Clow had already been in Paris a couple of centuries earlier, and he was rather fond of it.

"But now it's more beautiful than ever," he said, smiling, taking her by the arm as they walked near the Seine, "even thogh it's winter. It's a wonderful time."

"Winter? But you just said..."

"No, the _era_," he corrected enthusiastically. "We're living in an incredible moment, Yuuko. Don't you realize it? The world is changing."

"The world is always changing," she said, "and not always for good. You know it better than anyone. There are revolutions everywhere, and not even you and I can tell how they will turn out."

"You're right," Clow admitted, "but I didn't mean that. I was thinking about art. I'm a bit of an artist too, you know."

"And that means now I'm going to hear you play tonight's pieces until you get them just right, aren't I?" she sighed.

"At least until I get them as right as possible. I have my talent, but Chopin is Chopin."

Yuuko raised her eyebrows. Was that _humility_? They were truly dealing with a genius here.

"I know perfectly well what is it with you and these modern artists," she told him, going back to their previous topic. "Suddenly a bunch of madmen who try to revive the past show up, and you feel right at home. But you lived that past, Clow, and you know that it has nothing to do with their little ideal world."

"I appreciate the feeling, anyway," he laughed. "Perhaps that has something to do with it, yes. However," he added before she could reply, raising his index finger, "I assure that there is more than that. These young people are doing something very important. They're trying to break with all the conventions of their era, all those rules. They even dare to separate themselves from the classics..."

"The last time _I_ criticized the classics, you didn't speak to me for a week."

"And they don't care what the rest of the world thinks about them," Clow went on, ignoring her intervention. "Can't you see? Everything was too rational... art itself was chained, and gagged, and they managed to be original and creative in the middle of all that. They could break those chains and follow their own rules. They're passionate, Yuuko. That's why they're so contagious. I can't live without my passion."

"All right, now you're exaggerating," she said, just for the sake of interrupting. By that point, she didn't think she could keep hearing him ramble for much longer. Yet she had to admit that he wasn't too far from the truth. Clow might have had a very calm exterior, but he didn't do anything withouth giving himself completely, with all his heart; and that was as true for his magical creations as for his experiments in the kitchen.

What a ridiculous man! He never behaved the way one expected him to. _She_ liked that, but most of the magical community had a very different opinion about the most appropriate attitude for the greatest sorcerer in the world. They surely wouldn't approve the fact that he agreed with some melancholy youths who tried to break all the rules.

"Oh, I don't think that's exaggerating, really," he replied with a playful smile. "You've never complained about a lack of passion, not that I remember..."

"You don't say those things to a lady," Yuuko told him, slapping him on the head with her fan. "Believe me, you don't want me to get angry at you."

"This time, you're right," Clow admitted. "I don't have any intentions of ruining a night like this. Do you realize how lucky we've been to see this concert? We're at the right place, at the right time."

"You _really_ like this era," she muttered, a little surprised. She hadn't taken him too seriously so far, but it was obvious that Clow did find this very important.

"Of course I do. It's perfect. It's the era of Liszt, and Hoffmann, and Byron..."

"And Faust," Yuuko reflected, "and Frankenstein."

"And those too, yes," he nodded, distracted, apparently not realizing what she meant by that. "This moment is worth living, Yuuko. It was worth waiting centuries to hear Chopin play."

She couldn't help but smile. That constant enthusiasm always managed to be irritating and annoying at once. And at the same time it was tinted with a certain longing, with the knowledge that it was all going to end soon... It went rather well with the era, she had to admit that.

"You're mad, you know," she said at last. "Just as mad as your artists, always making your own rules, and playing with reality, and trying to bring back things that were never real in the first place."

"Of course. I was a Romantic before they knew they existed," he said, and it was hard to tell if he was joking or being serious. "We do have a few things in common..."

"More than a few," she replied, with an annoyed sigh. "And I guess I'm supposed to be the exotic Orient or something."

"Yuuko, my dear, you are far more than that," he replied. "You are beauty, and mystery, even for me. The mist that erases the limits between this reality and others. The tragic end of a hopeless love."

"That's not funny, Clow."

"I know," he said. "I've just said it. It's tragic."

Yuuko didn't answer immediately. She didn't even look at him. For a few moments she chose to gaze at the river, the starry sky, anything that wasn't going to disappear as soon as she grew fond of it.

"You should live longer," she whispered after a while, still turning his back to him.

"No," said Clow, and his voice was soft but firm. "We should have met earlier."

That managed to make her turn around at least, so she could look at him in the eye. She placed her finger on his lips before he could say any other crazy thing.

"Don't speak anymore," she told him. "I don't want to hear you say any of that."

He didn't stop smiling. He just took his hand to hers, caressing that glove that he'd given her himself.

"That won't change anything, Yuuko," he said.

"It will change my mood," she warned him. "And you don't want to ruin the night."

For a moment, it seemed that Clow was going to say something anyway; but then he thought better of it. Without changing his expression, he took her gloved hand and kissed it, a gesture as delicate as the silk that received it.

"See?" Yuuko said, smiling back at him at last. "That's a good beginning."

* * *

**Notes: **This has to be the nerdiest fic I've written so far...

Apart from the insertphrase challenge, I based this on the 30vicios theme "gag" (that I interpreted very freely). But the truth is that it's been a while since I wanted to mix my Clow/Yuuko obsession with my Romanticism obsession. I hope the fic doesn't read as a class; I think Clow's little speeches say a lot about the way I see his character, and not just about history of art. You'll be the judges. :)

And because nerdiness is in the details, I have explanations for some of them. I didn't choose Chopin only because I like him... The most obvious reason is that he was the typical Romantic artist. There's also the fact that many of his music is for piano only, something easy to relate to Clow. But the most important of all was his famous and quite stormy romance with George Sand... that has to do with all this because she knew he was dying.

The _Minute Waltz_ in the title is his, of course. I think it's superfluous to explain that I chose it because it goes with the theme of good things that last very little.

Oh, and the fic has an exact date: Febraury 16, 1848, Chopin's last concert in Paris. Clow is always right.

As for the rest of the people and works that I mention, yes, those are there to include some of my weaknesses. Except for Frankenstein... some time ago I've realized that I just can't write anything serious about Clow without some reference, even obscure, to that book.

Also, as usual, there's a crossover in-joke. _Clow had already been in Paris a couple of centuries earlier_: near the times of The Three Musketeers. Because I'm very, _very_ nerdy. ;P


	32. Technical Details

**Title:** Technical Details

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #26. I'm an expert, remember?

**Warnings/Ratings:** K

**Synopsis: **Clow really needs to learn when to shut up.

* * *

**Technical Details**

"It won't work that way, you know."

Yuuko looked up from her drawing, with a delightfully annoyed expression on her face. She had sketched both of their magic circles in great detail, with a perfection that rivalled Clow's. That made the tiny, deformed versions of themselves standing on them seem even more out of place.

"What's your problem now?" she sighed.

"First of all," he said, raising the sheet of paper towards his eyes, "that is _not_ how I look."

"They are _chibis_," Yuuko told him. "Just wait a few decades and they'll be all over the place, mark my words."

"That is a rather terrifying prospect."

"Nonsense. They're supposed to be cute."

"Well, I still think they're frigh – did you just call me 'cute'?" he finished, blinking. She leaned closer to him, and then her smile changed into an evil grin.

"That is _not_ how you look."

Clow narrowed his eyes. He was about to say something, thought better of it, and turned his gaze to the paper again.

"In any case," he said, "it won't work."

"And why not, oh great genius?" she asked, her arms crossed over her chest.

"You've calculated the proper distances for your amount of magic," he explained, pointing at the circles in the drawing, "but you need to take into account the differences between us to make sure you have the most efficent – "

"Do skip the technicalities," Yuuko interrupted. "It's boring."

He pushed his glasses up his nose, giving her an annoyed look.

"You are perfectly capable of behaving like a professional every once in a... never mind," he sighed. "If we're at such a short distance when I give free reign to the full extent of my powers, you 'll end up with your brain splattered all over the floor."

"And that's why you don't like my sketch."

"Trust me, I know what I'm talking about. I'm an expert, remember?"

"In splattered brains? Why, I didn't know that side of you..."

"I'm not joking, Yuuko," he pointed out. "This is serious."

She rolled her eyes at him, but she still looked amused.

"I _know_ all that, you fool," she told him. "This wasn't even in scale yet, that's why the distance is wrong. It's just the first draft."

"Oh, of course. That's easy to say after I point out the mistakes."

"It has chibis on it, Clow." She sounded as if she was trying very hard not to laugh now. "I don't think you make cutesy drawings on your definitive sketches... well, come to think about it, maybe you _do_."

"You have never even seen my notes," he defended himself, making a mental note not to let her find them until she forgot about this conversation. "Besides, if it's 'just a draft' as you claim, then I have even more right to point out its flaws, and – "

"Clow?"

"Yes?"

"Shut up."

He did. But she didn't seem to like his new attitude, and she raised her eyebrows, suspicious.

"Now what?" she asked.

"Usually, that line is used as an excuse to kiss someone."

Yuuko pretended to think about it.

"Nah," she said after a few moments. "I really just wanted you to shut up."

"That is so cruel of you, my dear."

"You'll live," she told him. "Now, stop annoying me or I'll introduce Cerberus to Chibi Clow."

"As far as I recall, blackmail is generally frowned upon," he said mildly.

She just waved the drawing in front of him, grinning, and he gave up the argument.


	33. Comes With the Job

**Author's Notes:** ... I know, I know, it's been over a month. March was a _very_ complicated month for me, and then I didn't get much inspiration for these fics. But now I'm back in action, so enjoy:)

**Title:** Comes With the Job

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #1. "Subdue your passion or it will subdue you"--Horace

**Warnings/Ratings:** K+

**Synopsis: **Watanuki's purpose in life was already decided.

* * *

**Comes With the Job**

"How do you _always_ manage to end up with a hangover?"

Yuuko glared at the wizard with all the strength she could muster. In her current state, it wasn't much, but at least she was stating her point.

"How do you _always_ manage to ask the obvious?" she muttered.

Clow sighed and shook his head at her. He looked very much like a disappointed teacher, as he often did in these cases. Not that he had any moral high ground, of course – and yet he acted as if he had absolutely nothing to be ashamed of. It was unnerving. He'd drunk just as much as her, the previous night.

"You really should learn how to control yourself. It's for your own good," he pointed out, as if he was talking to a little child. "You know what they say: _subdue your passion or it will subdue you_."

"Honestly," she said, rolling her eyes at him, "this is hardly the time to start quoting your stupid Chinese proverbs at me."

"That isn't Chinese! It's Horace!" he exclaimed, obviously appalled by her mistake. She snorted.

"Well, forgive me for my terrible ignorance," she told him. "Not everyone has had all the time in the world to memorize his whole library."

"Yuuko, my dear," he replied, with the shadow of an already dangerous grin, "you aren't _that_ young."

"That's it. You're dead," she snarled at him. "As soon as I can stand up."

"Oh, but you don't want to kill me," said Clow.

He was still smiling shamelessly. Even worse, the cheeky bastard dared to sit next to her on the sofa. What made him think he had a right to take up precious space?

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you," she said, as threatening as she could. All he did was raise his eyebrows.

"Really?" he asked. "And who's going to take care of you when you have a hangover, then?"

Yuuko smirked.

"How about another four-eyed dork?"

"Now, that's just mean," he said. "Not everyone can put up with you in this state. The poor boy doesn't deserve _that _kind of work."

"You're still smiling, Clow," she pointed out.

"Well, Inever said it wouldn't be funny," he admitted, his grin even wider. Yuuko stared at him for a moment.

"... you can be very evil when you want to," she mused at last.

Clow pushed his glasses up his nose, with a mischievous gleam on his eyes.

"Perhaps," he said. "But he doesn't need to know that."

"Oh, not so fast, my friend," Yuuko told him, smirking even more. "I'll make sure he does."

For some reason, Clow didn't seem terribly upset about the idea.


	34. The Classics

**Title:** The Classics

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #45. I won't hurt you, unless you want me to.

**Warnings/Ratings:** T

**Synopsis: **"Fine. If you want it to be porn, then it's porn. Can I have it back now, please?"

**Author's notes:** No, the fic _isn't_ porn. :P

* * *

**The Classics**

Nothing in the world, Clow thought, was as relaxing as spending some time in an old library. The smell of ancient books, the texture of their pages, their yellowing colour... everything about them was perfect. He could stay like that for hours, entranced. It was so enthralling that he didn't even notice it that Yuuko had entered the room until she spoke to him.

"Are you going to take much longer?" she asked.

He looked at her over his shoulder, without standing up from his chair. She stood on the doorway with her arms crossed, obviously bored.

"I'll be there in a minute," he promised. That didn't seem to convince her.

"You said that half an hour ago," she replied. As se walked towards him, she looked with varying degrees of interest at the piles of books that lay on the desk and all over the carpet. "And you also said that you were only going to look for a particular spell so we could go on working. What's all this?"

"Ah... well, yes, you've caught me," he said, with a sheepish grin. "I _was_ looking for it. Then I got, um, a little distracted."

"I can tell," Yuuko muttered, still staring at the mess he'd made; but then her face lit up. "Oooh. Look at this!"

She picked up a large and very old book with leather covers. Clow smiled to himself when he recognized it.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" he asked. "I bought that one in Florence, long ago. Even back then it was an antique. It cost me a fortune."

"Clow," she said, her eyes shining. "Don't you realize what this is?"

He was tempted to make a scathing reply telling her that he did, in fact, know what he kept in his own library, but he bit it back. Instead, he contented himself with rasing his eyebrows at her and pushing up his glasses with his best intellectual look.

"That would be an incunabulum, printed before 1501," he said. "It's Boccaccio's _Decameron_, one of the most important pieces of literature from the early Italian Renaissance."

"No, apart from that," she told him, waving one of her hands. "It's basically _porn_."

This time, Clow couldn't help rolling his eyes at her.

"Not really, no. There are many kinds of stories in it," he explained. "Which you would know if you had ever bothered to _read_ it."

But Yuuko didn't seem to care about being accurate. She just laughed at him and pressed the book against her chest, still grinning madly.

"I found your porn!" she sang, and then she stood on tiptoe and twirled.

Clow winced at the sight. For a split second, he was about to stand up and retrieve the object; but the thought of his friend making sudden movements while she carried his precious book dissuaded him. It was too great a risk. He decided to stay where he was and try to reason with her, as difficult as that seemed at the moment.

"You're behaving like a twelve-year-old," he said. "Put that down."

"Why?" she asked, giving him a sly look. "Are you afraid that I'm going to steal your porn?"

"I'm afraid because you're playing with a book that is almost as old as I am and worth more than this whole town," he answered. "_Please_, Yuuko. Give it back."

"Ask nicely!" she demanded. She was still laughing, and she twirled farther away from him as she spoke. Clow sighed.

"I just did," he told her. "What else do you want me to – no, don't answer that."

But that had already caught her attention. Yuuko stopped in her track and stared at him for a moment. Then she smiled dangerously. She walked back towards his chair, slow and sensual, like a cat. Once she was close enough, she leaned down and put one finger under his chin, lifting his face so he would look into her eyes.

"Now, now dear. You don't need to be so scared of me," she drawled. "I won't hurt you, unless you want me to."

Clow gave her a bored look.

"That line is even older than the book."

"Aww. Can't take a joke?" she teased him.

"Incunabula are nothing to joke about," he said. "And I cannot begin to explain how much you would owe me if you so much as bent one of its pages."

"Oh, don't worry!" she told him. "We can get you plenty of porn to make up for it!"

He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and reminded himself that hexing into next week would harm the book.

"All right," he said at last, defeated. "What do you want?"

"It's porn. Admit it," Yuuko ordered. He shrugged.

"That's it?" he said. "Fine. If you want it to be porn, then it's porn. Can I have it back now, please?"

"You're no fun," she muttered, looking disappointed, when he took the book from her hands. "You were supposed to be at least _a bit_ embarrassed."

Clow blinked. And then he couldn't help but laugh.

"What? You truly thought that was the problem?" he asked. "I was only nervous because I didn't want you to harm the book, Yuuko."

"Yes, I can see that," she replied, suddenly grinning again. "You're petting it."

"I'm – I'm dusting it off," he corrected; but he could feel the heat that filled his cheeks.

"_Lovingly_ dusting it off!" she laughed. "Oh dear, this is so much better than what I expected!"

"Yuuko..."

"I made you blush!" she told him. Clow narrowed his eyes.

"And _that_," he said, "is why books are better than people."

Yuuko sighed, shaking her head at him.

"And _that_ explains so much about you," she chuckled, and ruffled his hair.


	35. Good Oldfashioned Flirting

**Title:** Good Old-fashioned Flirting

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #17. "I have you in my eye" -- Madness of King George

**Warnings/Ratings:** K+

**Synopsis: **Clow really needs to get another hobby.

**Notes:** Aaand I'm back:) I'm sorry I took so long to post one of these again... but I have a good excuse. You see, because these fics are written for the insertphrase challenge, each one of them must have one of the phrases from the challenge list. Obviously, the more fics I write, the less phrases I have left; and now I'm stuck with all the difficult ones, heh. So inspiration took a while to return.

* * *

**Good Old-fashioned Flirting**

The thing about Clow, she mused, was that you never got to know him _quite_ completely. It wasn't just that he enjoyed surprising others; he changed his attitude on a whim even without the intention to shock anyone. One moment he was surrounded by ancient books as he tried to find the best way to let a living magical creature travel between worlds without harm, and the next he was in his garden making a flower wreath.

"A Queen of Fairies," he said as he bowed and placed it on top of her head. Yuuko rolled her eyes at him.

"What are you up to now?"

"Nothing in particular," he replied, sitting next to her under the cherry tree. He didn't say anything else for a while, so she supposed he was telling the truth. Although he _was_ staring at her, she noticed.

"... what?"

"I have you in my eye," said Clow, with a small smile. "You're very pretty to look at, you know."

"And you're shameless. Not to mention corny," she told him, grinning at him. He looked a little taken aback. It was strange in him, and it amused her to no end.

"Old-fashioned, perhaps, but..."

"No, I'm sure 'corny' is the word I'm looking for," Yuuko laughed. "Come on, you can do better than that."

"You are just fishing for compliments," he said, now with a hint of laughter himself. She tilted her head.

"Or a drink. That'd work, too."

"Hmm, I'm not so sure about that," he told her. "I would think you don't need any alcohol to find me rather charming."

"But I'd have to be drunk to _admit_ it," Yuuko pointed out, "so if your ego needs some flattering words, you'd better bring on the sake. Although then you'll never know if I truly meant it, of course."

"Yuuko, my dear," he said, "you always tell the truth when you're drunk."

"And how would you know that?" she asked. Clow grinned.

"Because that is how I found out where you hide your liquors."

"... so _you_ emptied my secret stash, you four-eyed thief!"

"We emptied it together, as a matter of fact," he corrected her. "If I recall correctly, you offered me your best bottle as a token of 'our neverendnig friendship'. We toasted for quite a lot of people that night."

Yuuko glared at him, trying to decide if she should just kill him or try something worse. He kept the same unnerving innocent look, though.

"What is it?" he asked.

"I think I like you better when you're being corny."

He gave her another flower and the best of his smiles.

"I knew you would."

"But you _still_ owe me all that sake."

"Absolutely," he agreed.

"And dessert. And –"

"I think we're getting a bit off track here," Clow said, amused.

"Then you really need to find a better flirting strategy," she told him. "Or get a hobby."

"Oh, there will be need of such a thing," he said, "I like this one just fine."

" ... you _do_ realize that it's not working," she pointed out.

"Of course," he admitted, and then he grinned shamelessly at her. "But making you angry is quite a fun pastime too."

There was a moment of silence before Yuuko spoke again.

"Sometimes I wonder," she said, with extraordinary calm all things considered, "how did you manage to stay alive for so long with _no survival instincts at all_."

"Extraordinary luck?"

"Then don't push it."

"All right," he promised. "Then I'll only tease you until you _almost_ want to kill me."

Yuuko didn't deign to answer.


	36. Freely Given

**Title:** Freely Given

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #7. "The treasure is your enemy."--Bel Canto, "Dewy Fields"

**Warnings/Ratings:** K

**Synopsis: **There was something slightly pathetic about living vicariously through other people's gifts and shocks.

**Notes: **Slight spoilers for HOLiC 133.

* * *

**Freely Given**

Yuuko was the first one to mention his birthday.

This wasn't surprising, in the strict sense of the word (and what was, these days?), but it was still a source of bemusement. The only reason why she even knew the date was a mere technicality; it had been quite obvious to her, who was used to figuring those things out, and then she had chided him for not being more careful. But that was all. He hadn't ever talked about it again.

In fact, he had spared no efforts to _avoid_ the subject. It seemed pointlessly cruel. She never brought up the issue of his uncontrollable foresight; it was only fair not to remind her that she couldn't give freely.

... and there it was again. Yes, it was _only_ fair. Always the same trap.

Yuuko enjoyed _getting_ presents, of course – for the same reason, he suspected, that he enjoyed surprising people. They had fun, yes, but they were also aware that there was something slightly pathetic about living vicariously through other people's gifts and shocks. He never found something unexpected. And she never gave without receiving the proper price.

It might not be noticeable for those who didn't look for it – he was sure that his Guardians, and even the Mokonas, hadn't figured it out – but it was there nonetheless. She gave him presents for Christmas because she knew that he would do the same, and she gave him Valentine's chocolate with the excuse of certain very smart people coming up with White Day in a few decades, but birthdays didn't have that handy clause. Sometimes he wondered if putting up a large party with enough food and liquor would cover the price of a heartfelt birthday present. In the end, he hadn't dared to ask. He figured that would defeat the point anyway.

Still, she had brought it up this year. He _had_ to celebrate it, she insisted on that; there had to be sweets and a cake and fun in general. She actually looked quite enthusiastic about it – he could tell that she wasn't pretending – so he had to give in. It was hardly an unpleasant request, after all, although he did wonder what had prompted it.

So now Cerberus lay asleep next to the fireplace after stuffing himself with snacks, and Yue was trying to keep Soel and Larg away from the already messy kitchen, and Clow and Yuuko sat on a windowsill staring at the chaos that his living-room had become. And even if she hadn't been able to give him anything, she looked quite content all the same. It was a mystery to him.

"Why?" he asked, unable to hide his curiosity. "Why did you want me to do this?"

"Because if there's something I _can_ do," she replied, still staring into the distance, "it's making sure that I don't make other people miserable just because they want to keep _me_ happy."

Clow didn't answer immediately, not because he was left without words, but because there were so many of them. I wasn't going to be miserable, he wanted to tell her. I know exactly how you feel: the gift is a curse, and the treasure is your enemy, and the power is a burden. You could never make me unhappy. So may things to say, and yet he didn't voice any of them. They wouldn't help. There was a much better way to deal with this.

"Thank you," he said.

She didn't turn to look at him. But she _did_ smile, and that was enough.


	37. Living Creatures

**Title:** Living Creatures

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #50. I won't let anything happen to you.

**Warnings/Ratings:** K

**Synopsis: **So... what happened to the goo that wanted to be human?

**Notes:** This one is based on a scene from the Mokona Modoki book. Long story short: The Mokonas make some kind of purple goo as a present for Clow and Yuuko. They made it with stuff they found at Clow's house, so it turned out to be alive. We never found out what happened to it... so here it goes. :)

* * *

**Living Creatures**

"Well," said Clow, once Soel and Larg had left the room. "This is a problem."

"No, _really_? I'd never have noticed –"

"Shh, don't talk in such a harsh tone. You're going to upset it even more," he interrupted her.

Carefully, he ran a finger accross the cold surface of the glass jar he was holding. The purple goo inside of it seemed to calm down a little, but it was still talking in its own way, always repeating what it'd been saying since the Mokonas brought it. _I want to be human soon_. Yes, it was truly going to be a problem...

Yuuko rubbed her temples and sighed.

"Look," she said. "I'd love to give you a lecture on how this is all your fault, but we don't have time for that. We should do something about this before... well. You know."

"I know," he replied grimly. That vital force had to be channeled into something viable, or else it'd fade away. They couldn't let that happen.

"So, any ideas?" she insisted, her arms crossed. "Or are you just going to stare at it until it's too late?"

The purple goo shook a little, nervous. It seemed it was beginning to suspect what would happen to it if they didn't hurry.

"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to you," he told it softly. Then he turned to Yuuko and frowned. "You shouldn't talk to it like that. You're scaring it."

"I'm trying to _help_, Clow," she pointed out.

"Well, you could use kinder words," he told her. "It's like our grandchild, in a way."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence.

"That," Yuuko said at last, "has to be the absolute _worst_ thing you could have said right now, Clow Reed. I can't begin to explain how many levels of _wrong_ there are in that sentence."

"Good, because we're in a hurry," he replied. "So, what shape is it going to be?"

_I want to be human_, it repeated.

"I know," Yuuko told it (in a much softer voice, he noticed), "but I'm afraid you're too small for that. It'll have to be something else."

"Something small and purple," Clow said thoughtfully. "How about a bird? Would you like that?"

"Do you have to put wings on _everything_?" she muttered under her breath. He ignored her.

_All right_, it said after a moment's consideration. Clow smiled. He took it out of the jar to place it on the palm of his hand and modelled it for a while, until he was satisfied with the results. Then he let go.

The little bird flew around them a couple of times and then zoomed through an open window.

"I wonder how are we going to tell Soel and Larg that we lost their present," he sighed, as he watched it fly away.

"They won't mind, I think. Everyone's happy, so they will be too," Yuuko assured him. Then she gave him a meaningful look. "So... _grandchild_?"

"In a way, yes."

"Your brain needs fixing," she said. "Let's have a drink."


	38. An Intellectual Attraction

**Title:** An Intellectual Attraction

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** #23. Next time, I lead and you follow.

**Warnings/Ratings:** K

**Synopsis:**Clow and Yuko accidentally end up in Rekort.

**Notes:** I'm back. :D

* * *

**An Intellectual Attraction**

"Fascinating," Clow said, looking around in awe. "Absolutely fascinating."

He could hear Yuuko sigh behind him. For some reason, she didn't seem to share his enthusiasm.

"So it's true, then. You had no idea where you were going."

"I knew perfectly well where I was going. The fact that we didn't end up _there_ is another matter entirely."

"I told you you weren't ready to choose the destination yourself," she insisted, and she sat down at one of the large desks. That was a good move, he thought; they'd probably stay there for quite a while. "I'm the expert when it comes to traveling between worlds, not you. You should listen to me when I tell you that – oh, why do I bother? You aren't even listening to me _now_."

"Of course I am," he defended himself. "I'm listening to every single word."

"You're just looking at those books, Clow."

He turned around at last, slightly miffed. 'Just' looking at the books?

"We are in the largest library in Rekort, and –"

"And it's entirely by accident," she interrupted him. "Next time, I lead and you follow."

"That's what we do_every_ time, Yuuko dear," he pointed out, his gaze back on the old tome he had taken off the shelf. "You were going to have to let me try, eventually."

"It could have gone horribly wrong," she said. "We could have ended up anywhere at all. You were just lucky that it happened to be a safe world."

"I'm always lucky."

She let out an even louder sigh, obviously meant to annoy him, but it didn't work. The treatise he was reading was so interesting that he couldn't find it in himself to be upset about worldly matters.

"Are you at least going to sit down?"

"Mmm," he said, without looking up. "In a moment..."

"Oh, you're hopeless," she muttered. He didn't have to turn around to know that she was shaking his head and giving him that particular look she saved for those occasions when she considered him especially frustrating. "Besides," she added, "this place is creepy."

That _did_ manage to make him turn around.

"How so?" he asked, frowning.

"The books? The clothes? The _flying cat things_?" Yuuko told him. "This world looks as if it was made just for you. If that isn't creepy then I don't know what is, Reed."

"Interesting... I hadn't thought about it that way," he mused. He finally put the book away and sat down in front of her. "It makes sense, though, doesn't it? If there are infinite dimensions out there, there _must_ be a world that seems 'made for' each person. It's inevitable. I wonder if that's why I ended up bringing us here, because my mind was attracted to it."

"You are just guessing."

"Theorizing, Yuuko."

"Same thing," she said. "Anyway, the really important thing here is something else."

"What?"

"Are you going to take much longer?"

"Always so impatient," Clow sighed, rolling his eyes at her. "I have this amazing library here and you expect me to..."

"Guess that answers it, then," she said, and she stood up with a resigned expression. "I'll go find a good,_ long _novel."


	39. The Big Picture

**Title:** The Big Picture  
**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC  
**Characters:**Clow and Yuuko  
**Phrase:** #21. Next "Call no man happy before he dies"--Herodotus  
**Warnings/Ratings:**K  
**Synopsis:**"Silly old man," she chuckled. "You couldn't be unhappy if you tried."

* * *

**The Big Picture**

The night was warm and quiet. There was silence all around, a great change after the last few hours; but, even at Clow's house, parties ended. All of the Cards were back to their sealed forms. Both Cerberus and Yue had gone inside, tired after such a noisy evening. Soel and Larg had fallen asleep on the wizard's lap, once they heard the stories behind every constellation that sparked their interest.

"Finally. I thought they'd never stop pointing up," Yuuko sighed, leaning back against the sakura tree.

"Curiosity is a very good quality," he replied with his usual smile. "I think I'll show them my celestial atlas tomorrow."

"You never get tired either, do you?" she laughed. "I didn't think you'd have the patience to deal with kids like these. But I have to admit, you look happier than ever when you're reading with them."

Clow took a moment to reply. His expression was thoughtful as he stared at the Mokonas, who slept peacefully using the many layers of his robes as covers.

"You know," he said at last, "Herodotus once wrote, _call no man happy before he dies_."

The witch rolled her eyes at him and put down her glass.

"If you're going to get this depressing, I'm out of here."

"I was going to say he was wrong," he told her. He was smiling again when he looked up. "I've been very happy, all things considered. And it's only fair to say that, in the last few years, my happiness has had a lot to do with you," he finished with a polite nod in her direction.

"Silly old man," she chuckled. "You couldn't be unhappy if you tried."

"Oh, I've had my moments," he said. "But in the end, they are only that, aren't they? Just moments. The big picture is quite pleasant, in spite of a few tiny flaws here and there."

This time Yuuko laughed out loud. He blinked, confused, and she shook her head before explaining her reaction.

"Can't you see? You're just proving my point!" she said. "You are an incurable optimist, Clow Reed."

Just like the girl, she thought. But she knew better than saying that aloud. The slightest mention of his successor was enough to put Clow in the mood for neverending speeches, and it was much too late at night to hear him ramble.

Of course, his smile grew even wider.

"That is hardly a flaw, my dear," he replied. "Quite the contrary. You won't find many people who haven't grown cynical at my age."

"I won't find many people of your age at all, you geezer," she laughed, and stood up to leave before he could make any comments about _her_ age.


	40. Those Rare Moments

**Title:** Those Rare Moments

**Fandom:** XXXHOLiC

**Characters:** Clow and Yuuko

**Phrase:** # 24. "You were born to be my torment". Jane Eyre

**Warnings/Ratings:** K

**Synopsis:**He loves her, she is sure of that, but he can never be truly hers.

**Notes:** I'm trying something a little different this time. I've always wanted to write one of those fics with fragments and no chronological order; I think it's a style that fits these two.

* * *

**T****hose Rare Moments**

Clow cooks, cleans, sews, makes sure the Mokonas go to bed on time, and still manages to look nice at the end of the day, when they sit down in his garden or her veranda to have a chat and a drink. He does it all with a smile, too. Yuuko can't help but find the whole thing very amusing. He's like a perfect housewife – except for the tiny detail of gender, of course, but it's not as if Clow ever cared too much about those things. He _does_ make her chocolate for Valentine's Day, after all.

She actually says it aloud, once, after she's had enough sake to loosen her tongue.

"You'd make a wonderful husband," she tells him, and only realizes the full implications of that phrase once the words have left her mouth.

Clow doesn't tease her about it, or even reply at all. He does smile a little. But his smile is sad, and he looks away as he takes a sip of his own sake, and she doesn't ask.

**o O o**

"You were born to be my torment," he sighs dramatically.

He always says cheesy things like that, for the silliest of reasons. It's not as if she's broken his heart. He just got stuck untangling her hair, after _his own_ Card got it this way with her "playful" wind, so he has no right to be upset. But Clow has always liked the drama.

It's funny. He makes such a fuss over the smallest things, and yet he never talks about the problems that truly worry him.

… well, in truth, it's not funny at all and Yuuko knows that. But it's easier to think of it as yet another of his quirks. It can't be helped, anyway. It's far too late for that.

"Oh, stop whining and get back to work!"

He chuckles a little and moves the ivory comb through the tangles in her hair, slow and soft, like a caress.

**o O o**

He loves her, she is sure of that, but he can never be truly hers. He has too much history to ever belong to a single person.

This is also true for her, of course, and sometimes she wonders how he feels about it. She isn't sure of how she _wants_ him to feel.

**o O o**

When they've just become friends, right after he introduces her to his Cards and Guardians, Yuuko decides to return the favour. She takes him to see all the people who are important to her: the fox with the oden stand, and Akari with that _wonderful_ liquor, and young Haruka, and her trusted fortune teller who calls Clow "ojii-sama" even though she looks a little older than him.

They all think he is very kind and a little dangerous. Yuuko thinks he is worth the risk.

Even after he's long gone, she doesn't change her mind.

**o O o**

They lie face up on her veranda, staring at the bright moon above. It's one of those rare moments when neither of them says a word; it might be the sake, or the quiet of the night, or the depth of their own thoughts. But it's very enjoyable, even though she knows it won't last for long. It never does. There comes a point when their thoughts become too much to bear alone, and then one of them will speak them aloud, and the spell will break.

"I was one, once," Clow says, out of the blue.

She almost tells him off for following the paths of his own mind without giving her any context. There is no way to know what he's referring to, which age old conversation he's suddenly decided to continue. He often does this after a bottle or two. But when she turns her head to look at him she sees his face still looking up, so open and lonely and _broken_, and she can't bear to say any upsetting words.

"You were what?"

"A husband," he says, still not facing her. "A good one, I hope."

Yuuko doesn't ask what happened. There is no mystery to it; he's lived hundreds of years, most people don't. The details are unimportant. Without a word, she turns to gaze at the moon again. But she takes his hand, and he squeezes it just a little.

He falls asleep with his head on her shoulder a few minutes later. He's smiling, and she wonders who keeps him company in his dreams.


	41. Choreography

**Notes:** … so. Um. Hello. It's been a while.

I have severely neglected my ff.n updates, I know. And I haven't written any more fics for this particular challenge… but I _have_ been writing Clow x Yuuko ficlets, and since I know there are people who have this on Author Alert, I thought I'd keep uploading them all in the same place.

I apologize in advance for the flood of alerts while I get this up to date again.

o O o

**Choreography**

"You are completely ridiculous."

Clow didn't seem at all upset by her words. He smiled a little, just as he always did, but it had a strange effect with the half mask on. It was even creepier than usual.

"Because of my disguise, or because of my idea?" he asked.

"Both, of course," Yuuko said. It was quite a pity that he couldn't see her frowning, what with her own mask getting in the way. "Carnival in Venice. _Honestly_."

"Well, where else would you go for Carnival?"

"I bet Rio is a thousand times more fun than this."

"Perhaps," Clow admitted, with a small nod. "But, while I am sure that you would look equally lovely in either kind of outfit, there are some things that just weren't made for me to wear."

"And yet you don't seem to have a problem with insane amounts of gold and ruffles."

"You like it just as much as I do," he said, amused. Not that Yuuko would give him the pleasure of admitting he was right. Arguing with him was part of the fun, and if she couldn't contradict him in all honesty, then it was time for a subtle change of subject.

"But that's not the real reason why you brought me here, isn't it?" she asked him. "You always have an ulterior motive."

"It's not a very interesting one this time," Clow replied, chuckling a little. "Mere sentimentality, I'm afraid. I used to love Venice when I was young."

Yuuko raised her eyebrows as she heard that last comment. _Used to_? It was very obvious that he still loved this city very much. It was there in the way he stared at everything, in that silly little smile he got whenever he recognized something as familiar. That was the problem with Clow. He had so much love to give, and you could see it if you knew him well enough, you could tell just how deeply he felt – but it would be foolish to expect him to ever _say_ anything about it.

It was a line of thought she'd rather not pursue.

"Interesting," she mused, pretending to be thoughtful. "I wonder if I can blame Venice for your gaudy taste, then."

"That's unfair. Do you really give so little credit to my own imagination?" he asked, still with a wide grin on his face. "On the other hand… this _was_ where I first figured out how Cerberus would look like."

"Winged lions in Venice. You're even less original than I thought."

"It was quite the breakthrough for me at the time, you know. And he's not _quite_ a lion."

"Close enough."

"Never mind," he said. "I didn't bring you here just to argue."

And then, with one swift movement, Clow wrapped an arm around her waist and suddenly they were dancing right there on the piazza. It was crowded, of course, and mostly everyone else was doing the same, so they blended right in and Yuuko had a good excuse not to chide him for making her look ridiculous. She didn't particularly feel like complaining about this, after all. Then again, she wasn't going to admit she _liked_ it, either. He'd have to make do with what he could notice on his own.

… and perhaps, just perhaps, they were a little more similar than she'd like to admit. They both played the same game; they both had this way of dancing around every important issue, never saying anything that really mattered, never letting go of their masks. She wondered, sometimes, why they still did this. Both of them knew that the other one could see perfectly well through their disguise. They could see the truth behind each other's masks, quite clearly. Perhaps they were just too used to this, to present themselves to the world with this careful choreography of things left unsaid.

This setting was appropriate for them, after all. And then, realization hit her – of course it was appropriate. The bastard _knew_ that. It was just like him to do something like this. Clow never said any of the important things, after all. He took you halfway across the world and let you figure it out by yourself.

"I knew there had to be an ulterior motive," she muttered, more amused than she'd admit even to herself. He tilted his head and stared at her, a little taken aback, but didn't stop leading her in their dance as he spoke.

"Just because I've managed to steal a dance from you?"

"You aren't stealing anything, mister. You'll have to buy me a drink after this."

And what she really had been thinking about, she didn't mention. He should be smart enough to figure it out on his own.


	42. Temptation

**Temptation**

It must have been the coldest day in winter so far. Even Clow's garden, usually a bubble of pleasant weather no matter what was going on outside, was grey and chilly. When he opened the door for her, Yuuko stormed into the house before even saying hello, and only after she was safely in that warm environment did she sigh with contentment and start to remove her scarf and gloves. Clow took her coat for her and placed it on the hanger next to the door, all the while grinning to himself like a little boy.

"What's so amusing?" she asked, frowning ever so slightly. He better not be making fun of her, _or else_. But, as it turned out, it was something completely different.

"I have a surprise for you," Clow replied. He must have seen the mistrust in her eyes, because he added the magic words after that. "In the kitchen."

"Wonderful!" she cheered, raising her arms up in the air and without even bothering to hide her enthusiasm. She didn't wait for him to reply, either, and simply made her way to the kitchen. It certainly wasn't the first time she invaded his personal sanctuary like that, and it wouldn't be the last either.

Her cheerful smile disappeared, however, as soon as she saw the two bowls placed on the kitchen table as if waiting for her arrival (which was probably the case; Clow liked to show off by reminding that she couldn't ever catch him off guard).

"You have to be kidding me," she muttered. He didn't seem too upset by her reaction.

"You can't tell me you don't like ice cream," he replied. "_Everyone _likes ice cream."

"It's not that," Yuuko told him, rolling her eyes. He was being dense on purpose, she just _knew_ it. "Today isn't a day for ice cream! Haven't you even _noticed_ the weather? Today is a day for chocolate cake and warm tea and then a glass of scotch near the fireplace."

"We can still have that glass of scotch later," said Clow, still in a ridiculously good mood. "But we can also have ice cream. It's rather good, you know. I've made it myself," he added, as if that was absolute proof that it was of good quality.

He was right about that much, of course, but Yuuko wasn't about to admit that. His ego was bad enough as it was.

"It's _snowing_, Clow," she sighed. "There's something just too strange about having ice cream while you watch a snowfall."

"And since when has something being 'strange' stopped us?"

Yuuko held back another sigh. She couldn't believe he was getting so philosophical about something as trivial as this.

"You really are set on this, aren't you?"

"I've made a very great effort to make it, you see."

"No, you didn't. You never make a great effort for anything. You just… do things, and they turn out well."

"I'll take that as a compliment," he replied, with the most annoying grin she'd ever seen. Yuuko just stared at him.

"I was calling you _lucky_, not talented."

"But you still know that ice cream is going to be really good," Clow pointed out.

"Weeell…"

"And it'd be a pity to just let it melt."

"_Melt_? On a day like this?" she snorted. But still, she couldn't help throwing a side look at those bowls. Those very, _very_ tempting bowls.

Clow noticed it, of course. He always noticed things. However, he didn't point it out, not with words; he simply let that annoying smile of his grow even wider.

"Fine," Yuuko sighed, making a point of letting him see that agreeing to eat delicious ice cream was one of the greatest sacrifices she had made in her life. But only if you promise we'll have that scotch later."

"We have a deal," Clow agreed, punctuating his words with an overly formal bow.

"You're silly," she replied. Acting as if she'd won the argument, after all, was almost as good as actually winning.


	43. Only Natural

**Only Natural**

The one thing Clow could say in his defense, if asked (not that anyone ever would), was that he had tried. He had truly, honestly _tried_.

Of course it was a bad idea to become involved with someone like her. Even without his foresight, even without that nagging feeling of impending doom whenever his eyes lingered on her a second too long, he would have been smart enough to tell that she was not meant for him. Or so he liked to think, at least. Sometimes he wasn't quite sure if he truly was that reasonable.

But he didn't dwell on those thoughts. He dearly cherished what he did have, and made the effort to convince himself that it was enough. They were close friends, after all. Yuuko was a much needed equal for him, someone who_understood_ him, even if she didn't always agree with him… and who had no qualms about letting him know, in very specific detail, exactly _how_ he was wrong and why it was so incredibly stupid. She did so in such a funny way, too, so much that he couldn't even bring himself to be upset about it; and of course that annoyed her even more, and she had that most adorable frown…

And then Clow would distract himself with a gulp of his sake, because he _most certainly_ wasn't going to entertain any thoughts of a less than platonic nature. She was his friend – a very dear friend, yes – and so she would remain.

It was only natural, he told himself when he realized he had been staring at her for a bit too long, that he appreciated her beauty. He would have to be a fool not to, really, when she looked like _that_. It was only natural that he sought her company, because it was enjoyable, and for that same reason it was also natural that he kept finding excuses to linger a little more, just a few more minutes, whenever he could.

And if he thought about her a bit too often, if she had invaded his dreams to stay, it was because they had a Future together. A future, Clow knew, that involved a great deal of preparations and sacrifices, and had no place whatsoever for love. So he did not entertain such silly notions – not that he would have done it otherwise, really, couldn't he just care deeply for his friend?

But it was hard, sometimes, when they sat together under his cherry tree and she laughed at him as if she would never have a care in the world. It was even harder when the nightmares came to him, still blurry and incomplete, and he knew that it would be terrible and it would be _all his fault_ and he couldn't love her, he _couldn't_, for it would be her doom and his and everyone's.

When he made his wish, it was without even realizing it, and there was nothing left for him to deny.


	44. Dares

**Dares**

"Why are we doing this again?" Yuuko sighed, curling up on her divan in a rather dramatic pose. She seemed to be trying her best to look as if a great tragedy had struck her. Clow would have chided her for the unnecessary display, but he wasn't in the mood to argue about it at the moment.

That, and he was pretty sure that he probably looked just as bad.

"It was your idea," he said.

"It was a _joke_! You weren't supposed to take it seriously!" she whined. "It's not my fault that you take everything as a challenge!"

"And it's not my fault that you decided to go along with it," Clow replied. "You got involved in this entirely on your own."

"Well, I couldn't just let you win!"

"But you didn't have to join in, either," he pointed out. "You could be trying to make me drink, in fact. You could even be _tempting_ me with _your own_ drink right now."

"Oh, shut up!" Yuuko snapped. "I _know_ what you're trying to do! And you're not going to make me get a drink before you do."

"I was simply saying that it would have been a better course of action to-"

"This. Is. All. Your. _Fault_."

"We've been through that already."

"Well, it's still true!" she whined. "We're stuck like this because _you_ decided that it was such a bright idea to prove that you could spend a whole day without booze!"

Clow sighed and rubbed his temples, getting more and more frustrated by the second. Not that he would admit that his patience was a bit more strained than usual. He might have been in need of a good drink, yes, but that didn't mean he was going to say it aloud. He also didn't see the point in repeating that Yuuko had been the first to bring up such a dare, or that she had been in no way forced to join in, or that they weren't _stuck_ and could simply give up whenever they pleased.

If either of them stopped being too stubborn to concede defeat, of course.

"We need a distraction," he said instead. "How about a game of chess?"

"It would be our _third_," said Yuuko, with an expression that somehow managed to be a mix of boredom and incredulity. "Can't you think of anything else?"

"Can't _you_?" he replied, still as calm as ever. "I don't see you making any great suggestions, either."

Amazingly enough, Yuuko didn't have a snappy answer ready for that. She didn't even try to contradict him this time.

"All my good ideas involve booze," she sighed. Clow shook his head, chuckling a little.

"Look," he said, "if you give me a few minutes, I'll make you a snack and then we can pass the time eating, at least."

"And let you out of my sight? In the kitchen, no less?" She shot him a very suspicious look. "I'm not going to leave you alone with the cooking sherry, you cheater!"

"Then come to the kitchen, too."

"But then _I'd_ see the sherry! Oh, the temptation would be too great…"

"You are making this needlessly complicated," said Clow. For a few moments, Yuuko just stared at him.

"Coming from you," she said at last, "that is _very_ bad."

"… does that mean you give up?"

"_Never_!"

Well, there went his chance. But _he_ wasn't about to give up, either. It had been just a few hours… and, more importantly, he wasn't going to admit defeat.

Although, truth be told – as long as he didn't lose, it wasn't so important to _win_, either. And he had a better idea. This could be the perfect way out, or it could result in endless mockery for trying to escape a dare. He was aware of that. But he wouldn't know until he tried.

"Let's call it a tie and I'll pay for the sake," he said.

Yuuko grinned brightly at him.

"Looks like sometimes you do have _good_ ideas!"

"I try my best."


	45. Sway With Me

**Sway With Me**

She didn't know how many glasses of sake she'd had. If she had had enough will to think, she might have judged from how much was _left_, but that wasn't enough to tell how much each of them had drunk… Clow had probably managed to drink more than her, the bastard. Oh, well. It was _his _ booze this time, at least. She could always make him go and get another bottle.

For the moment, however, Yuuko was content with things as they were. She leaned back against the sakura tree with a lazy sigh, looking at the pattern of the branches above her. It was a beautiful night. The breeze was warm, the moon was almost full, and although she'd never admit it aloud, she was in good company. She could have stayed like that forever.

And, of course, Clow had to choose the exact moment when she thought that to take her hand and try to make her stand up.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"Let's dance," he said, his smile even brighter than usual. Yuuko didn't move, but he didn't let go, either.

"I'm comfortable here," she told him, pouting just a little. "Besides, there is no music."

"Ah, but we don't need any music! We have the breeze, and the tree leaves, and the rustle of our clothes and our own steps in the grass…"

"You are even cheesier when you're drunk, did I ever tell you that?"

"Often," he assured her, still insufferably cheerful. "Will you dance, then?"

"Will you shut up if I do?"

"Perhaps. But I most certainly _won't_ shut up if you don't."

Yuuko considered her options for a moment. In the end, she chose to get up and play along, but not before letting out a dramatic sigh to make a point of just how annoying she found this whole idea. Clow, predictable as always, beamed at her.

Then he had the gall to wrap an arm around her waist and start _twirling_.

"Hey! What's _that_ about?"

"We're dancing, of course!"

"But - I thought you meant, I don't know, something slower! Not this shaking me around like a madman!"

Clow stopped at once. Well, that was unexpected. Was he going to do as she said, really? Without arguing? No, that couldn't be… And then he smirked. _Of course_. The whole thing was just too good to be true, otherwise.

"Are you saying you want to slow dance with me?"

"_No_."

Just in case her glare was not enough, Yuuko gave him a well-deserved smack over the head. It didn't change his expression, however.

"All right, then. No slow dancing," he said, and he started twirling again as if nothing had happened. It was so sudden that it took a moment for her shock to become visible.

"_Stop that_! I don't want this kind of dancing either!"

"Aw, you're boring," Clow sighed. "Maybe I should just dance with Flower…"

That was enough to make Yuuko remember that she still had control of her movements, in spite of all the alcohol in her system. She planted her feet firmly in the ground, and they both swayed quite a bit with the sudden stop, but at least she wasn't being spun around anymore. And, oh, she was _fuming_. That idiot should have known better than saying something like that! Being drunk was no excuse. Even now, he was simply looking at her with a slightly confused look, as if he didn't even realize what he had done wrong.

"Boring? _Boring_?" Yuuko repeated. She didn't raise her voice, but her tone was icy, and that should have been even scarier. "You think I can't keep up with your twirly dancing? I'll show you some spinning, mister!"

True to her word, she grabbed Clow by the waist and started twirling _him_ around instead. He didn't even resist; on the contrary, he stepped smoothly into his new role. Well, she should have expected that, she supposed. He _was_ used to dancing with Flower, and he always let her lead. Still, even if he was willing to cooperate, it was a clumsy affair. The fact that he was taller and heavier than her made it a bit difficult to begin with. And, more importantly, there was the tiny detail of both of them being very, very drunk. It didn't take long for Clow to trip over his own robes and drag her to the ground.

He was still laughing and grinning like a little boy, though. It was amazing, how he could have so much fun with the silliest things. It was even more amazing how contagious it was. The lucky bastard always managed to make Yuuko smile without even trying, no matter how hard she was trying to stay annoyed at him.

Then again, that also meant that she was right, in a way. She propped herself up on one of her elbows and poked his nose with her free hand.

"Take it back," she said.

"You are not boring," he admitted, without even trying to put up an argument for a change. "Not one bit. We should do that again."

"… but we'd have to stand up."

Clow seemed to think about it for a moment. Then he shifted a bit, as if to make himself comfortable, and took her hand. It was unexpected, but she didn't refuse the touch.

"Later?" he asked.

For once, Yuuko agreed.

"Later."


	46. First Meeting

**Author's Note:** Here's a ficlet I wrote for springkink on LJ, with the prompt_first meetings - I can see a lot of life in you / I can see a lot of bright in you / and I think that dress looks nice on you_

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Clow sat on a bench in the park, dressed in casual clothes instead of his wizard robes for once. As much as he liked them, those weren't well-suited to wear in public; not without attracting unwanted attention, at least. And, right now, he intended to blend in as much as possible. To the casual observer, it would look as if he was just another passerby, someone who was simply enjoying the warm afternoon and feeding the birds.

In truth, he was waiting. Today was important.

He tried to be as natural as possible. In his case, it was very difficult. He _knew_, after all. No matter how much he tried to pretend otherwise, Clow was perfectly aware of the exact second when the woman of his very literal dreams would come to sit by his side. If he looked a little bit expectant, it could not be helped. Still, he did his best to focus on the birds. He would be looking at _them_ when she arrived - any moment, now.

His visions had been accurate, as always, and he didn't have to wait much longer. She walked towards the bench just as naturally as he sat there, which was to say not much at all, but Clow was wise enough not to comment on it. He didn't want to start this meeting on the wrong foot. He waited until she had settled down next to him, not too close but not too far, either. Then he looked up and smiled at her.

"It's good to finally meet you in person," he said. She rolled her eyes at him, but she couldn't quite hide her mischievous grin.

"Are you always so stuffy, Reed-san?"

"I try to be polite, that's all. In a way, we are perfect strangers."

"In a way," she agreed. "But I would say that two people who have been intruding on each other's dreams for so long are allowed a little more familiarity."

"You make a good point," Clow conceded. "But then, you shouldn't call me Reed-san, either."

"What? Do you want me to call you by your first name already? I've just met you!" she said, and poked his shoulder with her index finger.

Although she pretended to look offended, Clow could tell quite easily when he was being made fun of. Right now, however, he discovered that he didn't mind. All he did was laugh about it, and for a moment, it seemed as if the frown on her face was a real one. She hadn't expected her little joke to have _that_ effect, apparently. But he was in too much of a good mood, today, to let it bother him.

Yes, today was a good day. He was sure.

"All right, then, _Ichihara-san_," he replied once he managed to sober himself. "We will be just as formal as you like. No more, no less."

Her smile grew wide, almost a little dangerous. Clow liked it. Technically, it wasn't the first time he'd seen it. But now... well, now it was different, with her right there in front of him. She was so full of life, full of mirth and confidence and the attitude of someone who knew precisely what she wanted.

"Well, good," she said, with the perfectly serious expression of people who are only pretending. "It's important that you learn soon enough that _I_ will make all of the important decisions."

Clow couldn't help but laugh again, even as she crossed her arms in mock disdain, her eyes twinkling with amusement.

He liked it _a lot_.


End file.
